Escape to Argentina
by Joe's girl
Summary: Tony escapes to Argentina to avoid prison. Will he ever see Michelle again? Takes place at the end of season 3. Some of the events of episode 24 have to be ignored. One of my old storoies revised and reposted. Please read and review.
1. The Plan

_I originally wrote and posted this story just after the end of season 3. I considered the writers' ending to be unsatisfying and opted to venture into the AU and write my own ending. It was my first attempt at fanfiction. I recently reread it and decided that it needed to be edited (because my writing style has changed) and reposted (because there are never enough T/M fanfics). So here it is: a revised and reposted version._

_Basically, this story picks up near the end of season 3, episode 24. There are some minor changes from the show. Jack is never forced to cut off Chase's arm. Chase is still in one piece and the final scene with Jack leaving the hospital doesn't happen. Also, David Palmer never tells Jack that he is not running for re-election as he does in the show. For my purposes, it is important that he remain president. _

_The usual disclaimer applies: I own none of the publically recognizable characters. They belong to Fox. All others are mine. _

_Hope you enjoy! Please review!_

ESCAPE TO AGRENTINA

Chapter 1: The Plan

Tony sat at the table in CTU's holding room. He was exhausted and weak; his neck was throbbing. The virus threat was over; Saunders was dead, all of the vials of virus accounted for _and_ most importantly, Michelle was safe. All he wanted was to hold his wife in his arms but even that was being denied him.

From the moment he learned Michelle had been kidnapped, all he wanted was to find some way to save her. He had sold his soul to do it and now he was paying the price. _It was worth it,_ he thought. He would do it again if he had to. He was sure the charges would never stick. Even if they did, no jury would convict him. He squeezed his eyes closed as if to shut out the pain and fear. What if they did? What if they convicted him of treason? Hammond was right; he could get the death penalty.

The memory of the last 24 hours flooded his brain like a tidal wave. If only there was a way to go back a day and start over. The day had started with such promise. He had been offered his dream job at Langley. Even if they didn't have a job for Michelle, she deserved some time off, he told himself. He would be making more money; she didn't have to work. Maybe it was time for them to start a family.

Then it all started to fall apart.

He remembered the call from Jack; they needed a field team at the mall to apprehend Kyle Singer. Tony could land a chopper there in ten minutes. Don't send Chase, Jack said. There were any number of field agents Tony could have sent, but this looked like an easy collar. Why bother an agent who was in the middle of something else when he could just do it himself. _Cover for me_, he told Michelle, _I'll be back in a couple of hours_.

Tony met with mall security. Singer had been spotted. _This is a piece of cake_, Tony thought. The next thing he knew, he was knocked down hard on the tile floor, people were shouting and running and his neck was burning. What was happening? His vision clouded and he tried to call Michelle's name. He could see her face so clearly in his mind and he wanted to talk to her, touch her. Everything else was a blur until he woke in the recovery room hours later. Michelle was there to kiss him and tell him that he scared her half to death. He was sorry, he told her.

Soon he was leaving the hospital against the advice of the doctors and his wife. Michelle was so angry. He had almost died, she said. He needed to stay in the hospital, rest, be monitored. He refused and they returned to CTU. The covert operation that he and Jack and Gael had put into motion was revealed. The thought of Gael tore him apart. Gael was dead; there was nothing he could do to change that. How could the day possibly have gotten so out of hand?

And why had he treat Michelle so badly? She loved him so much, like no other woman he had ever known. Why did he make her watch while he interrogated Nina? Someone else could have monitored equally well, why did he pick Michelle? Then came the hours she spent at the hotel. Not knowing if she would live or die were the most agonizing hours of Tony's life. He hadn't even kissed her goodbye. He wanted to go to the hotel, be with her, hold her in his arms and die with her if necessary. He remembered the relief when she called him to say she was okay; she wasn't infected. They would go to Virginia, he thought. He was glad they didn't have a job for her at Langley. He didn't want her in another job where her life could be at risk.

His relief was short-lived.

Again, it was a blur. The phone call from Saunders, the IP address, the fear in Michelle's face as it came into focus on the computer monitor, the call to Agent Baker… He forced himself to stop thinking about it; pushed it all to the back of his mind as he stood and paced the holding room. It wasn't like he had never been in the room before, but this time the walls seemed to be closing in on him.

He shook his head as if to clear it and touched the intercom button.

"Paul," he said to the guard outside the holding room.

"Yes, sir?" was the response.

"Is there any chance I could see my wife?"

"I'm not sure, sir. I'll look into it," Paul answered. Paul knew the answer. Hammond had made it perfectly clear: Almeida was not to see his wife. He was a prisoner and would be afforded only the rights any prisoner would receive. No special treatment. Period. End of sentence.

Paul felt terrible; he liked Tony. He had been with CTU for many years and had been through several directors, both good and bad. Jack was the best and would always remain Paul's favorite, but Tony was right up there among the very good ones. He remembered the day Tony had been named acting director of CTU. He smiled as he thought about Tony drugging Chappelle and locking him in one of the holding rooms. He had almost been charged with treason. The story had become CTU legend, growing bigger year by year. The story was recounted at every CTU gathering: Christmas parties, summer picnics, going away parties. Every time, Tony would blush with embarrassment and end up laughing with everyone else. Just about everyone secretly wished they had been the one to do it. Chappelle was a mid-level bureaucrat with designs on a higher position in Washington. He generally made everyone crazy with his rule-following and demands. Of course, no one wanted to see him die the way he did. Paul felt badly for thinking ill of him.

He picked up the phone to see if he could track down Agent Dessler. She was in medical being examined, he was told, expect her to be there about 45 minutes.

Paul didn't care what Hammond said. Director Almeida was going to see his wife. Paul had little to lose. He had a stellar record with CTU and enough years in to retire. The worst he could get for allowing the reunion was a reprimand.

"Mr. Almeida," Paul said through the intercom. "Agent Dessler is in medical, just routine, you know. She'll be about 45 minutes. I'll make sure you see her when she's released."

"Thanks, Paul. By the way, do you know how Pete is doing?" Tony was asking about the guard he had knocked out with a stun gun while escaping with Jane Saunders.

"He's fine, sir. He's resting in medical, but he'll be able to go home in a few hours." He paused. "Pete and I have been friends for years, sir; he won't blame you for what you did. He'll understand that you didn't have any choice."

Paul heard footsteps approaching and looked up. It was Jack Bauer.

"Hey, Paul," Jack said. "Any chance I can get in to talk to Tony?"

"I'm not supposed to, Mr. Bauer," Paul answered with a smile. "But for you, I think I can make an exception." At the same time that Paul pressed the lock release on the holding cell door, he also disabled the visual and audio recording equipment.

Jack smiled as he heard the electronic devices click off. "Thanks, Paul. I owe you."

The holding room door opened and Jack walked in. He looked like hell.

"How ya doing, Jack?" Tony asked.

Jack wasted no time on pleasantries. "I'm okay. Right now it's you we need to talk about. Look, everybody has talked to Hammond: me, Michelle, Chase, Chloe, Adam. He won't budge on this. He's talking 20 years to life, but he keeps bringing up execution. I talked to the Attorney General's office. They are on board with him. I tried to call the President but his ex-wife was killed a couple of hours ago and he is neck deep in a police investigation and dealing with the media. He took my call but refused to take up your case, at least for now."

"Thanks for going to bat for me, Jack. I'm not sure…"

Jack interrupted. "Tony, we don't have much time here. They are going to take you down to Federal soon to process you. Word is Hammond is going to say you are a flight risk and ask for you to be held without bond. Some of us have talked and if you want to escape we can get you out of here."

"Escape! Jack, are you crazy? You can't possibly get me out of here. Even if you could, I'm not sure that's the best thing for me to do."

"Think about it, Tony. If they hold you without bond, you're going to sit in a cell for a year just waiting for a trial. Then there is no guarantee what happens when it goes to a jury. I can arrange for you to get to Argentina. I have a contact down there who will help you out. He has a business that could use your communications expertise. There's no extradition from Argentina."

"What about Michelle? Does she come with me? Does she come later?"

"Tony, you can't take Michelle with you. You're going to be traveling through Mexico and other Latin countries. You'll blend in. She won't. You guys will be spotted in a minute and be dragged back to the U.S. Then you're both going to jail. If you want to contact her later and get her to Argentina, that's your choice. Just remember, unless we can get the charges dropped or a Presidential pardon, you can't return to U.S. soil or to any other country with an extradition treaty to the U.S. So, if Michelle goes, she is in the same boat."

Tony looked pensive, his eyes downcast as he considered the proposal. "I've got to talk to Michelle."

"No, Tony. You don't have time to talk to Michelle. I've got paper," he said as he pulled a sheaf of lined, yellow paper from the inside of his jacket. Tony could see that it had been hastily torn from a legal pad and folded in thirds. "You can write her a letter explaining yourself, but you can't talk to her. We've got about 30 minutes until they transfer you to Federal."

Tony closed his eyes for a moment considering his options, then he looked directly at Jack. "What's the plan?"

"Okay. I've got a listening device for you to put in your ear. Tell Paul you need to use the men's room. He'll make sure the men's room is clear, then wait outside the door. Chase and I will create a diversion around the corner to draw his attention away from the men's room. Adam will monitor using the security cameras. When it's clear he'll tell you. Leave the men's room and go toward the back exit. The security monitors are on a 20 second loop. Adam will let you know when you can turn each corner."

"Okay, so I'm out of the building. Exit security cameras will see me leaving. Satellites will find me in minutes just like you did when I took Saunders' daughter."

"Not a problem. There are 8 identical CTU cars parked to the left of the exit. You take the 2nd from the left. The keys are in it. Other agents who want to help will be in the 7 other cars. You all leave at the same time. Then one-by-one they will all go in different directions. Hammond won't be able to track you."

"Jack, I can't ask agents to do that. They'll be suspended. They could be fired or arrested for aiding and abetting."

"Tony, this is their choice. They know the risks. More than likely, Hammond can't afford to charge them. If he does, they'll all go to the media to drum up support for themselves and you. Hammond'll look like a fool to the American public if they know the whole story. "These are your friends, Tony. They came to me with the beginnings of the plan. They don't want you to go to prison."

"Alright, what's the rest of the plan?" Tony asksed.

Jack continued. "Once you're off the CTU lot, you'll drive to Dodgers Stadium. There will be a car parked near the northeast entrance. Take that car and leave the city going south. You're going to need to stay on side streets and back roads and go to San Diego. Are you with me? "

"Yeah," Tony replied, resigned to the fact that this was his only chance to avoid prison.

"Go to the private marina just north of San Diego. A Mexican intelligence officer will be waiting for you."

"Can we trust this guy?"

"Absolutely. He was one of my contacts on the Salazar case. He owes me," Jack answered. "He'll take care of you from there."

Jack stood up. He put his hand on Tony's shoulder. As he did, he dropped the listening device into the breast pocket of Tony's jacket. "Think it over. It's your choice. You put the plan in motion by asking to go to the men's room. Once you do that, I'll do the rest. It's up to you."

Jack turned to leave the holding cell.

"Jack," Tony called after him. "Look out for Michelle, will ya?"

"Of course," Jack said quietly.

* * *

Jack walked away. This was a risky plan, it could backfire on all of them and he was well aware of that. Jack saw the world as black and white, good and evil, right and wrong. What the government was doing to Tony was wrong and he wasn't going to let them get away with it if he could help it.

Jack and Tony hadn't always gotten along, but at this point in his life he considered Tony his closest friend. That was saying something since Jack didn't have many friends. He knew a lot of people who might consider him a friend, but he considered them nothing more than acquaintances.

Jack thought back 4 ½ years to the day Teri died. Tony questioned everything Jack did that day. He was nearly insubordinate to him and called in a lock down saying Jack was out of control; all this before 3am. Not 24 hours later, it was Tony who discovered Jack cradling Teri's body in the transformer room. He heard Tony call for a medic as he dropped to his knees and tried to find a pulse in Teri's neck. It took Tony only seconds to realize that there was no pulse and Teri's body was beginning to cool. Tony closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Years later, when Jack was able to look back on that moment with some objectivity, he realized that as Tony closed his eyes, guilt oozed from his every pore. He felt responsible. Tony later expressed those feelings to Jack, but never were they clearer than at that moment. Jack had listened to the pain in Tony's voice as the younger man tried to apologize. He wondered aloud how could he have let it happen, why he wasn't watching out for Teri. He had saved her life just hours earlier, shooting the assassin that held a gun to her head. It was all in vain. In the end, she died anyway. Jack remembered the moment so clearly. Remembered was actually not the correct choice of words. He didn't _remember _the moment. The moment _haunted_ him. To this day he could feel the weight of Teri's body in his arms. He could see Tony standing in front of him; could hear him offering his condolences. The woman he and Jack had both bedded was a traitor and a murderer and because of her, Jack's beloved wife was dead.

Jack couldn't remember much of what happened next, but he remembered Tony gently coaxing him to let go of Teri, to let him put her on the gurney. He had to talk to Kim, Tony reminded him. Eventually Jack relented and Tony took the lifeless body from his arms, struggled slightly to stand under the weight and placed her tenderly on the gurney. He put his arm around Jack's shoulders and turned him around before Jack could see the medics cover Teri's face. He walked Jack back to the conference room; both of them now smeared with Teri's blood, and stood by as Jack broke the news to his daughter. Tony was there for Jack and Kim through the viewing and the funeral, helping with arrangements, supplying CTU agents to act as pall bearers, he simply couldn't do enough for them. After the funeral, he tried to keep in touch, but Jack withdrew and would communicate with no one. After a year, Tony stopped trying. Everyone else had stopped long before. Tony had been by far the most faithful. Jack would never forget Tony's loyalty. Now Tony needed a favor in return and Jack planned to do just that.


	2. The Escape

Chapter 2: The Escape

Tony sat with his head in his hands. This was an impossible choice. He didn't want to run. He believed what he had done was right. A deeply religious man, he had vowed at his wedding to take care of his wife. He didn't take that vow lightly. But still, the possibility of life in prison or worse, a death sentence, was frightening. He had never been afraid of dying for his country. As a young marine, he had been in firefights in Somalia where dying for his country had been a distinct possibility. But execution was a different story.

He pictured his family living through the ordeal of a trial, endless appeals and finally death or a long prison term. He couldn't put Michelle or his parents through that. He opened his eyes and sat up. The decision was made. He would accept Jack's offer.

Tony smiled as he thought of Jack. Jack was already in trouble. The covert plan to buy the virus, breaking Ramon Salazar out of prison, the heroin addiction, shooting Nina… Jack would be lucky to get away without prison time himself. Tony guessed this was just Jack's way of getting the last laugh.

He picked up the pen, sighed and began to write.

_My Precious Wife,_

_It breaks my heart to write this as I know it will break your heart to read it. I'm sorry that I have to do this to you. All I ever wanted was for us to be together, to have a family. I in no way regret my actions. I would do it again if asked. What I cannot do is watch you from a distance while I sit in prison, see you only on visiting day. Or worse, know that you have to live through my execution._

_I know at this moment that I may never gaze on your beautiful face again, touch your soft skin or hear your sweet voice. I waited a lifetime to find a love like you and the 3 years we had together will have to sustain me._

_Don't waste your life, Michelle. You have so much love to give. Don't try to find me. File for divorce and move on. I want you to live your life and be happy. We had a short and wonderful time together. Treasure the memories but don't dwell on them._

_I know in my heart, my Darling, that I will see you again in our next life. There we can spend eternity together._

_Until then, I am, and always and forever will be, your loving husband,_

_Tony_

He folded the letter carefully in thirds, wrote "Michelle" on the front and slipped it into the inside pocket of his jacket. Then he pushed the intercom button.

"Yes, sir," answered Paul.

"Paul, if it's no trouble, I'd like to use the men's room."

"No trouble, sir."

Tony watched Paul move to the door and scan his card to unlock it.

"You know the drill, sir. I'll make sure the men's room is clear then I'll wait outside for you."

"Yeah, I know," Tony replied.

Paul opened the men's room door. There was no one at the sinks or urinals and all of the stalls were empty.

"Take your time, sir," Paul said.

As Tony walked away from the door, he reached in his pocket to retrieve the listening device. He pushed the earpiece into his ear. At the same time, he heard Jack and Chase arguing loudly in the background. He heard something hit the wall and a loud crash. People were shouting for them to "break it up". Tony could hear Hammond in the hallway.

"Jesus Christ!" he shouted. "What is going on? Officer we need help here," he shouted at Paul.

"But, sir, I'm …," Paul began, trying to explain that he was guarding Tony. Hammond wasn't listening.

"Help break this up before they destroy the place. That's an order."

"Yes, sir," Paul answered.

The earpiece crackled to life and Tony heard Adam's voice. "You're clear."

Tony propped the letter on the ledge below the mirror and headed for the door. He slipped out of the door and toward the rear of the building.

"Hold," Adam said as he reached the next corner.

Tony waited for several seconds that seemed like an eternity.

"You're clear," Adam advised.

They repeated the process at two more corners and Tony walked toward the outside door.

"Good luck," Adam said quietly in Tony's ear. "We'll miss you."

Tony walked quickly toward the second car on the left as Jack had directed him. The door was unlocked, the keys in the ignition and a CTU "care package" (a case with a handheld GPS, scramble phone, police band radio, gun and spare ammunition) on the front seat. There was a cup of steaming coffee in the cup holder. Jack thought of everything. Tony turned the key and started the engine. The 7 other agents did the same. Three pulled out immediately, Tony followed and the remaining 4 fell in behind. They pulled off the CTU parking lot in a straight line. Once on the street they began to fall back and pull forward allowing each other to pass back and forth and further eliminate any possibility of CTU figuring out which was Tony.

* * *

Michelle sat in the opposite wing of the CTU building in the medical unit, oblivious to all that was occurring. She was being examined by a doctor who seemed determined to find something wrong with her.

"I told you, I'm fine," she said for the third time. She was anxious to see Tony, to find out what was going on. She couldn't believe that Hammond would really charge him with treason, especially since after he was arrested Tony ran point for Jack when they recovered the last vial of virus.

"I'll decide if you're fine, Michelle," the doctor said curtly as he wrote in her medical record.

Michelle extended her arm. "I guess you want to draw blood, too."

"No," he said shortly. "Dr. Duncan at NHS said she has plenty of your blood. She's processing it over there. You'll get a report within the hour." He didn't look at her as he spoke.

"Look, I'm not sure what's going on here. Why are you acting like I've done something wrong?" Michelle asked the doctor who, although she didn't know him well, had always been nice to her in the past.

"It's like this, Michelle," he said as he closed the medical record and slapped the manila folder onto the table. "Tony and I have been friends for a while. I've always liked you, too, but now he's going to be charged with treason because he did what any husband would do and chose to save his wife. If you hadn't been working together this wouldn't have happened. You should have never been allowed to work together. I've been saying that since you got married."

His words stung. Michelle felt guilty enough without this. She and Tony had worked very hard to keep their personal and professional lives separate. Now the futility of it came crashing down around her.

They had dated for months without anyone at CTU knowing. They always came to work and left separately. While at work, they were careful to keep conversations professional, not to let lingering looks give them away. At happy hours and CTU parties they treated each other in the same friendly manner they treated their coworkers.

As Michelle had lunch with some of the girls one day, the subject of Tony Almeida's love life came up. He never seemed interested in any of the girls, one of them noted. A good looking guy like Tony should have a line of women knocking down his door. _Maybe he was gay_, one of them speculated. _Not a chance_, said another, _remember his relationship with Nina Myers, boy he got burned on that one. Maybe now he only dated women outside of work_. If that is the case, said one particularly young, pretty girl, she would be happy to quit her job. They all laughed. Michelle acted interested, but stayed silent.

No one, except Jack, suspected that they were lovers. Tony's and Michelle's positions at CTU required that they work closely, just as he and Nina had when he was CTU director and Nina was his second in command. Jack would often glance over into Tony's office and see the two hunched over a report or looking at a computer monitor. It didn't take him long to notice that their bodies were usually closer than necessary. Never inappropriate, just closer than necessary, he thought. Having seen that, Jack also noticed that Tony could occasionally be seen staring down at the bullpen in Michelle's direction.

Once they set a wedding date, they knew that they had no choice but to allow the relationship to become public knowledge. Tony waited as long as he could the talk to his immediate supervisor, Ryan Chappelle. Chappelle was in Tony's office for a meeting. As the meeting ended, Tony took a deep breath. He reminded Ryan that he was going on vacation at the end of the week, so was Michelle. Jack would be in charge.

Chappelle still hadn't made the connection. "Have a great vacation." Ryan said as he opened the door to walk out. "Are you doing anything special?"

Tony looked at the floor "I'm getting married," he said.

Ryan was shocked. He had no idea. "Congratulations," was about all he could muster.

Tony was still looking at the floor, biting his lower lip like a child caught in a lie. He finally looked up and without accepting the congratulations, said, "I'm marrying Michelle."

Chappelle was livid. What did they think they were doing? Tony was her superior, protocol was very clear; she could not work for him. "Are you out of your mind screwing a subordinate?" Chappelle asked crassly. Why didn't they tell him sooner? He would have to arrange for Michelle to be transferred immediately.

Tony shook his head. "You can't transfer her," he told Chappelle. "She is the point person for three new antiterrorism protocols all of which would be implemented over the next six months. We dnn't have time to bring someone else up to speed." Michelle would have to stay. Tony continued to plead his case. He reminded Chappelle that their relationship had not affected their work to date, why transfer her now? Chappelle reluctantly agreed, but made it clear that if at any time he sensed their relationship was interfering with their work, Michelle would be transferred without a warning.

Keeping their professional and private relationships separate had not been easy, but Michelle thought they had done a good job of it for almost three years. Tears filled her eyes as she realized that what she had worked so hard at had not only come undone but could result in Tony spending much of his life in prison.

* * *

The fight between Jack and Chase had been stopped and the two were separated. Hammond was lecturing them like schoolboys. Around them were the remains of two smashed computers, an overturned desk and files that had spilled all over the floor. Hammonds lecture was abruptly halted by a security officer with a look of panic on his face.

"He's gone, sir," the officer reported. "Almeida is gone."

Hammond looked incredulous. "He's what? How did that…"

His voice trailed off as he spun to look at Jack and Chase. "You two," he gasped. "This is your handiwork, Bauer. You'll go down for this, Jack, I swear!"

Jack glared back at him. He new there was no evidence linking him to Tony's disappearance and no one else was going to talk or they would implicate themselves as well.

Hammond began barking orders: review security tapes, exit monitors, satellite surveillance. Agents scrambled to follow orders.

"Sir, I found this in the men's room," a security officer reported. He handed Hammond the folded legal paper with Michelle's name on it. Hammond began to open it but Chase grabbed it from his hand.

"That doesn't have your name on it, sir," Chase sneered.

"It's evidence, Edmunds," Hammond snapped.

"At least let Michelle read it first," Chase said, his voice edgy.

"Let Michelle read what?" No one noticed that Michelle had just walked up the hall from medical. She looked exhausted and scared. "Let me read what?" she repeated.

Hammond turned and began to walk toward her. He grabbed her shoulders and slammed her angrily against the wall. "Where is he?" Hammond demanded.

Jack and Chase tried to pull him away from her. "Stop it, Brad. Let her go," Jack demanded.

Tears welled in Michelle's eyes; her lower lip began to quiver. Hammond released his grip on her and again demanded, "Where is he?"

"Where is who?" Michelle asked her voice cracking.

"Your husband," hissed Hammond through clenched teeth. "Your husband took off. Where did he go?"

"Tony…Tony escaped? My God, how?" She was crying now with tears streaming from her big eyes. Her knees buckled and she began to slide down the wall. Jack and Chase grabbed her from either side to steady her. Chase reached for the nearest chair and pulled it to her. They eased her into the chair.

Chase knelt next to her. "He left this letter for you," he said gently.

Her hands shook as she opened the letter.

Again Hammond thundered "Where is he?"

"Brad," Jack started. "Tony isn't stupid enough to put a forwarding address in the letter. It is a personal letter to Michelle. Let her read it. She hasn't talked to him since he was arrested. How would she know where he is?"

Hammond backed off as reports started to come in. Tony could be seen on exit security, but he was lost immediately in a sea of black Ford SUVs.

Michelle sobbed openly as she read the letter. As she finished, she dropped the letter, put her face I her hands and cried inconsolably. Jack put his arms around her and let her cry. There was no point in trying to stop her.

"This is my fault," she sobbed. "If I hadn't gone into the hotel in the first place…"

"No, Michelle," Jack consoled her. "You did the right thing. It's not your fault and Tony doesn't blame you."

Just then, Chloe walked up the hall with a cell phone. "Look, Michelle, I know this is bad timing and all, but I have Nicole Duncan on the phone for you."

Chase rolled his eyes. "Chloe, take a message."

"Nicole said it was important," Chloe insisted.

Michelle took a deep breath to compose herself and took the phone. "Yes, Nicole," she said into the phone.

"Michelle, I just finished reviewing your blood work. I found something that I suspect you aren't aware of or you would have told me earlier. I thought you should know about it."

"What is it?" Michelle asked, forgetting Tony for a second and now feeling anxious that there might be something seriously wrong with her.

Michelle listed silently to Nicole. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive. I had the technician repeat the test," Nicole answered. "You should follow up with your doctor as soon as possible."

"I'll do that," Michelle answered numbly. "Thank you." She disconnected and stared blankly at the wall for several seconds. Chase and Chloe had walked away leaving Michelle alone with Jack. Jack watched her, she seemed almost catatonic.

"Michelle," Jack whispered, but she didn't respond. "Michelle," he repeated, this time gently shaking her shoulder. "Are you okay? What did Nicole want?"

"Oh my God, Jack," she said softly as she exhaled. "This can't be happening. There has to be a mistake."

"My God, Michelle. Is it the virus? Are you infected?" Jack asked, his face scrunched in horror.

"No! No, I'm not sick. I'm fine. Nicole just told me that I'm pregnant."


	3. The Aftermath

Chapter 3: The Aftermath

LA traffic was light that afternoon due to the request from city officials that people limit travel as much as possible in the wake of the terrorist attack. Tony slipped easily through the side streets after his entourage had all turned off. He followed Jack's instructions and found a nondescript, gray sedan with tinted windows parked near the northeast entrance to Dodger's Stadium. He looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then he took the "care package" and coffee from the SUV and got into the sedan. As planned, the keys were above the visor. He started the car and drove off. He turned on the police band radio. As he expected, there was an APB out on him. They broadcast his description and that of the SVU he had been driving. He drove out of the city and settled in for the drive to San Diego.

At CTU, the pace was frantic. Hammond interrogated everyone that he believed could have played a part in Tony's escape. He threatened everyone with suspensions and jail time but in point of fact, after accepting resignations from Jack, Michelle and Chase, he couldn't afford to lose anymore well trained personnel.

Jack, Chase and Michelle were escorted from CTU after tendering their resignations. As they got in their cars, Jack stood next to Michelle. "Are you going home?" he asked.

"No," she answered shaking her head. "I need to talk to Tony's parents. I don't want them to hear this on the news and I'm sure Hammond will send agents over to question them within the next couple of hours. They're going to be devastated."

"Do you want some help?" Jack asked.

"Thanks, but I think this is my job. Tony's a fugitive because of me. I'm the one who needs to tell his parents."

"Okay," Jack said. "Be careful driving, I know how tired you are. Maybe you can stay with Tony's parents for a while and get some rest."

Michelle smiled a rueful smile. "I don't think so. His parents have never been all that happy about our marriage. He's the oldest son and they wanted him to marry a Latina or at least a Catholic. When they find out they may never see him again because of me, it's not going to endear me to them.

"I'm sorry, Michelle, I didn't know," Jack replied trying unsuccessfully to smile. "I'll call you tomorrow after you get some rest."

Michelle drove the half-hour to her in-laws house intermittently wiping tears from her face and wondering how she was ever going to explain the events of the last day. She was having enough trouble understanding it herself.

Her relationship with Tony's parents was tenuous at best. Close-knit families were difficult for her to understand given that the only family she had to speak of was her older brother, Danny. Her parents had divorced when she was a child. Her father paid child support when he was working, but never had any real relationship with his children. For her part, Michelle's mother never stopped loving the man who deserted her. She died when Michelle was in high school, still begging Michelle to keep in touch with her father. After her mother's death, Michelle moved in with Danny, who was 18 and working while going to college part-time. She finished high school near the top of her class and went to college on a scholarship. She remained close to Danny and his children, but could often go weeks without talking to him. She loved him and she was always there to bail him out when he needed her. That was simply the kind of relationship they had.

Tony's family was completely different. For the most part, Michelle liked his family, but they could be, well, smothering at times. Tony never went more than a day without talking to at least one family member. He played basketball with his brothers one night a week and often went out for drinks with one or two of them another night. Big Sunday dinners were at least a monthly event. Tony obviously loved being a part of this family.

Tony was the oldest of eight children. He was born in Chicago where his father worked as an executive chef in a restaurant and his mother was a stay-at-home mom. When Tony was 10, his parents had the chance to buy a Spanish restaurant in LA. It had been his father's dream for years, so they packed, at that point, six children up and went to LA.

Life in LA was a big change for Tony. They had lived in a house in the suburbs in Chicago where Tony played Little League and had a yard and lots of room to run and ride his bike. Buying the restaurant had really tapped all of his parents' resources, so the family started out living above the restaurant in the middle of LA. His father worked an incredible number of hours and his mother was now needed to work through the dinner rush and into the late hours preparing for the next day as well. As the oldest, Tony was given responsibility far exceeding his age.

After school, his mother would go downstairs to the restaurant, leaving him with his younger siblings. He was responsible for making sure the school-age children finished homework correctly, feeding them dinner (which his mother usually brought up from the restaurant), cleaning up and getting all of the children ready for bed. As two more children were added, he took care of them as well. He never complained. By the time he was 12; he was busing tables and working in the kitchen on weekends. All the while, maintaining high academic standards, especially in math and science. By high school, he was offered a scholarship to an elite Catholic boys' school. He excelled both academically and athletically. He was always his parents' golden boy. They knew they expected too much of him and he never let them down.

If they had one complaint about their oldest son, it was that all of his girlfriends were Anglos. There were so many pretty Hispanic girls, his mother would say. Why don't you go out with any of them? The Ruiz girl down the street was so pretty and so sweet, why don't you take her out? Tony always smiled and ignored their request. His mother continued to believe that when Antonio, as she called him, was ready to get married, he would find a nice Hispanic girl.

When Tony brought Michelle home for the first time, his parents knew instantly that this girl was different from all the others; he clearly cared more for her than any of his previous girlfriends. Although never unkind to her, they were not overly friendly, particularly his father. If there were other people in the room, Michelle felt that they looked right through her. Tony had warned her ahead of time and she thought she could handle it, but it had hurt her more than she would admit. Tony's siblings loved her and treated her wonderfully, which helped, but she longed for his parents to love her, too. Sometimes she wondered if she were looking for surrogate parents, a loving family to really belong to.

Their wedding had been a production that Michelle had not wanted. She wanted to go off and be married in a little cove in Hawaii by a Justice of the Peace. Tony wouldn't hear of it. They didn't have to have a big wedding, he said, but it had to be in a church and his family had to be there. Along with his strong family ties, Tony had strong religious convictions. He believed in a God that Michelle wasn't sure existed. He derived such strength from his faith. She wished she could do the same. God had let her down far too many times for her to believe in Him.

She smiled as she thought of their wedding. As much as she didn't want that type of wedding, it had been an incredible day. She was dressed in a white lace, mid-calf length dress; her hair piled elaborately on her head with baby's breath woven into her curls. She felt like a princess as she walked down the aisle on Danny's arm. Tony looked so handsome waiting for her at the foot of the altar. It was all so perfect. After a luncheon for the family, she and Tony flew to Hawaii. They arrived just in time to watch the most spectacular sunset she had ever seen.

The memory of that day kept flooding into her brain despite her desperate attempts to stop it. At this moment the memory was as painful as it was beautiful. She remembered their wedding night. It was as if they had never made love before. She remembered Tony opening the door to their room and insisting on carrying her over the threshold. She giggled as he lifted her into his arms and told him she felt just like a princess. He promised her she would always be his princess. She remembered how he set her down and closed the door behind them, how he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. She didn't know how long they kissed before he pulled away gently. He wanted to take a shower, he said. Did she want to join him? Without Michelle saying a word, they started to undress each other and walk toward the bathroom leaving a trail of clothes in their wake.

Eventually they went into the bedroom where Tony opened a bottle of champagne and poured two glasses. As they clinked the glasses, he offered a toast.

"Always and forever, sweetheart," Tony said tenderly.

That was his signature line. He didn't often say, "I love you," but rather substituted "always and forever." Michelle liked that they had their own little phrase that was different from everyone else.

Memories of their wedding and honeymoon were pushed aside as Michelle pulled her car up to the curb in front of the Almeidas' home. Michelle stepped onto her in-laws' porch and rang the doorbell. It was Tony's mother who opened the door. She was surprised to see Michelle and she knew immediately that something was wrong. This was confirmed by her daughter-in-law's tear stained face and swollen eyes. As the mother of a federal agent who knew from the news that there had been some sort of terrorist strike against Los Angeles, she assumed the worst and began to cry.

"Oh, my God, Michelle," she cried. "Please tell me he's not dead. Not my baby, please."

"No, Mama, no," Michelle comforted her. "Tony's alive. He's safe, but we have to talk."

Tony's father heard his wife's cries and came running. "Michelle, what's going on?" he begged for an answer. "We know CTU is involved with something but we can't get any details."

"I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you about Tony. Let's sit down."

They sat around the kitchen table while Michelle related the events of the last 24 hours. As she suspected, they were both devastated, but at the same time, they were proud of how much their son was willing to sacrifice in a cause he believed was right. Michelle finished by telling them she was pregnant which brought another wave of tears from all of them. She also promised she would never stop fighting to have the charges dropped or for Tony to receive a presidential pardon.

* * *

Tony's drive to San Diego was largely uneventful. He was easily able to avoid road blocks with the help of the police band radio and the GPS. He drove into the marina entrance and parked. He looked around beginning to wonder what to do next when his phone rang.

"Yeah," he said into the phone.

"Almeida?" asked the caller.

"Who's asking?"

"Manny Lopez, Mexican Intelligence," was the reply. "Look to your left. See the cabin cruiser named the 'Maria Elena'? Come on board."

Tony walked onto the deck and exchanged quick pleasantries with Lopez in Spanish. Lopez explained that he would be piloting the boat to their next stop where he had arranged ground transport for Tony. He invited Tony to go inside.

"There are food and clothes in my cabin and I have a doctor on board to examine you. Jack said you had a pretty rough day. You can relax and get some rest now. It will be a while before we reach our destination."

The doctor walked out on deck. He introduced himself and assured Tony that he would tell no one about this. They went inside where he examined Tony's neck, took his blood pressure and temperature and listened to his heart and lungs. "There is nothing wrong with you that some rest and food won't cure," he assured him.

Tony smiled weakly and thanked him. As the doctor left, Tony fully intended to wash up and change his clothes, but as he sat down on the bed to take off his shoes, a wave of exhaustion overwhelmed him. He lay down and went immediately to sleep.

* * *

As Michelle left her in-laws' house she had no way of knowing that Tony had just arrived in San Diego. She looked up at the bright sun in an unusually blue sky and knew that the same sun was shining on Tony. It was silly, she knew that, but it somehow made her feel closer to him. She got into her car to drive home. To her surprise, her in-laws had invited her to stay with them, but she declined. Overall, the visit had gone better than she expected. As she left, Tony's father touched her arm. He tearfully apologized for not welcoming her into the family way they should have. He told her he was happy that his son had such a strong and loving wife, that they couldn't have asked for a better daughter-in-law. She hugged him and thanked him and for the first time, she felt close to Tony's parents.

Driving away, she turned on the radio. The news of Tony's escape was just breaking. She knew she would be met by a mob of reporters at her house. She was also sure that a team of CTU agents would be there with a search warrant. As expected, she could barely get into her driveway. Reporters with satellite trucks were everywhere and a CTU van was parked in the driveway. She parked the car and as she stepped out, reporters bombarded her with questions:

"Mrs. Almeida, do you know where your husband is?"

"Has he been in contact with you?"

"If they catch him, do you think they will seek the death penalty?"

The questions were endless.

"Okay," Michelle said. "I won't answer any questions, but I will make a statement." She took a deep breath and continued. "My husband has served his country for most of his adult life: first, as a Marine officer and, after that, as a Federal Agent. His record is distinguished. At 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon he was shot in the neck trying to protect this country. He was in an operating room for nearly 2 hours. By 8 o'clock he had checked himself out of the hospital, against medical advice, to return to CTU to face the bioterrorism threat. When he was notified by Stephen Saunders this morning that I had been kidnapped, he had already been awake for the last 28 hours except for the time he spent on an operating table. He continued to assist in the investigation even after he had been arrested. Tony Almeida should not be charged with treason. Yes, what he did was wrong. He should have let Saunders kill me. He should lose his job and his pension. He should never hold another job with the U.S. government. But he is not a traitor to this country and he should not have to face execution or a lifetime of incarceration." She took a second to breathe and blink back tears. Then she continued "All Tony ever wanted was to serve his country and spend time with his family. Now he can do neither." Her voice cracked with emotion. "What my husband doesn't know is that when he saved my life, he also saved the life of the child I am carrying. He left before I could tell him that he was going to be a father." She was crying now and the reporters were silent.

Michelle composed herself. "Print that in the newspapers and put it on the evening news. Ask your readers and viewers to call or write or email their senators and congressmen and even the President of the United States to put a halt to this travesty. The charges against Tony Almeida should be dropped immediately." She turned and walked purposefully to her front door where she was met by a CTU agent.

"You did great, Michelle," the agent complimented her.

"Hi, Mike," she said as she wiped away tears.

Mike Leary, a long time CTU agent, handed her the search warrant.

"Thanks for not breaking in," she said sarcastically. "What does Hammond think? That Tony stopped at home and left a travel brochure before going into hiding?"

"I'm sorry, Michelle. You know this is routine. Believe me, I am dragging my feet as much as I can. So is everyone else at CTU. None of us wants to find Tony." Mike Leary had always gotten along well with Tony. They had been drinking buddies before Tony and Michelle got married. "I need his passport, Michelle."

Michelle turned the key and opened the door. She reached in and turned off the security system. Tony always carried the remote that allowed you to turn it off before you opened the door. She wondered if he still had it in his pocket. Their cat, Snickers, trotted up to rub against Michelle's legs. Michelle picked her up and snuggled the cat against her face.

She started to walk toward their bedroom with the cat still in her arms.

Mike stepped in the front door behind her and said, "If there is anything you don't want us to see, move it now. I'll give you a couple of minutes."

"Mike, feel free to follow me. I have nothing to hide."

With that Leary called in the rest of the team and they spent the next hour searching the house. As Michelle promised, they didn't find any evidence. They all apologized profusely for having to do this to her and told her to call them if she needed anything.

Once they were gone, she walked around the house feeling lost. She fed Snickers and gave her clean water. She picked up a framed wedding picture that sat on a table in the living room. That wedding seemed a million years ago. They were both so happy. She carried the picture with her to the bedroom and set it on the bed. She finally stripped off her leather jacket. Then she took down her hair. The long curls fell around her shoulders. She continued to undress and finally slipped between the covers naked. She lay on her back caressing her lower abdomen, thinking of the baby that was growing inside of her.

"Sweetie," she said out loud to the darkness. "I promise you your Daddy will come home. He won't be gone forever, but you're going to have to be patient while I figure out what to do next." Exhausted beyond belief, she finally fell into a restless, dream filled sleep.


	4. The Next Day

Chapter 4: The Next Day

Tony woke in the dark cabin sensing that the boat had slowed. His watch said 2:58am. He got up and walked on deck to talk to Manny.

"What's going on? Where are we?" Tony asked.

They were pulling up next to a long pier and he could see the outline of a large house set well back from the beach. It was dark except for the bluish glow of a computer screen through a single window. Tony could see someone moving in that room.

"You're going to stay here for a while," Manny informed him. "The U.S. government really wants to find you, don't they? I had no idea the kind of manhunt your escape would spark. I've already had to avoid two Coast Guard vessels. These guys are serious, Tony. I've made a change in plans. I was going to take you further down the coast and get you transport to South America, but it's too risky. Your picture is on every newscast in Mexico and Central America. And with the bandage on your neck, you're not hard to spot. A friend of mine, a former agent, has a secluded place here. He's going to put you up for a while." Manny continued. "He's a little eccentric, but he's a wonderful person and the best agent I've ever worked with."

"Former agent?" Tony put this in the form of a question.

"Yeah, he had a tendency to do things his own way. Sound like anyone else we know?" Manny asked. He smiled and a vision of Jack floated vaguely through Tony's mind.

"Anyway," Manny continued. "The bosses got sick of him and found a way to get rid of him. He did okay though. He ended up negotiating a huge severance package just to keep him quiet. That's how he bought this place. Now he spends his time deep sea fishing and freelancing in the intelligence world."

"Freelancing in intelligence?" again Tony was asking a question.

"Yeah, for anybody who will pay him – the good guys and the bad guys," Manny answered.

They secured the boat and stepped out onto the pier. The night air was cool with a breeze coming in off the water. Tony didn't know why, but he suddenly thought of Michelle. What was she doing? Sleeping peacefully, he hoped.

From the pier they walked up a path to the door. A handsome Mexican man opened the door before they had a chance to knock. He was tall, probably 60 years old, Tony guessed. His hair line was receding and what remained was grey and cut very close.

"Manny," the man said. "Good to see you. So this is my guest."

"Sanchez, how are you?" Manny asked. "Jose Sanchez, meet Tony Almeida."

The men shook hands.

"I would have known you anywhere, Tony. Your picture has been on television all night." He spoke to Tony in English without a trace of an accent.

"That's what I hear. Look, Manny and Mr. Sanchez, I don't want to put anyone at risk. Maybe I should move on, try to find some place to lay low. I have Marine survival training; I can take care of myself."

Sanchez shook his head. "Manny can get out of here now. So he's not at risk. And frankly, considering some of the people I've worked for in the past two years, your crimes are minimal. The authorities leave me alone, Tony. They know I have too much information on all of them that I would be happy to share with the media. Oh, and drop the 'Mr. Sanchez' stuff. I'm Joe. My mother was American. She let me father name me Jose, but she insisted that everyone call me Joe."

"I'm going to leave you two," Manny said as he shook hands with Tony. "Good luck. If you need to get in touch with me, Joe can take care of it."

Tony thanked Manny and followed Joe into the kitchen.

"Hungry?" Joe asked.

"I guess I should be, but I'm really not," Tony answered. "So, I made the news?" Tony asked wryly.

"You bet. FoxNews, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, all the major networks. I've got satellite. I prefer American television." He continued, "You've got quite a little tiger for a wife, son. It must have been tough to leave that little girl behind."

"Was my wife on the news, too? Is she okay?" Tony asked.

"She's a little spitfire! You'll have to watch the statement she made to the media, I recorded it for you. By the time she was done, there wasn't a dry eye out there. Even made an old grouch like me tear up."

"Could I see it?" Tony asked anxiously.

"Sure, come on in here." Joe led Tony into a huge room filled with electronic equipment. A plasma screen TV was mounted on the wall.

Tony dropped into the nearest chair as Joe grabbed the remote. At first he was appalled at how the reporters were hounding her, but when she agreed to make a statement, his pride in her swelled. He choked back tears as she described the events of the day in a calm, clear voice. Finally, as she spoke of their unborn child, Tony began to cry.

"My God, Joe," he whispered. "Did she just say that she's pregnant?"

"That's what it sounded like to me," Joe said softly. "Congratulations, son."

Tony looked as if he had been hit in the stomach. "Joe, I really need to be alone. I need to think. I thought I was doing the right thing, but now…" The sentence trailed off. "A baby! I should turn myself in. I want to be there for her."

"You want to be where for her, Tony? In jail. That's no help to her. At least this way, if she can't get your name cleared in the next two or three years, you can bring her and the baby to South America. The three of you can be a family."

"Two or three years!" Tony cried. "You want me to miss the first two or three years of my child's life? The first steps, the first words, the first…"

"Better than missing the first 20 years while you sit in prison!" Joe shouted back.

Tony realized that Joe was right. He rubbed his forehead and nodded silently. "I guess I just need some rest. This is just such a shock. This day is such a nightmare."

"Come on, Tony. Why don't you go upstairs? I'll show you to your room. As soon as the search for you dies down, we'll get you to South America. I'll get in touch with Juan Rodriguez. Jack's probably already spoken with Juan. He's a former Argentine government agent. Left government service a few years ago and started a high tech security company. You know, tracking shipments of high priced cargo – gold, diamonds, fuel oil - from the supplier to the wholesaler to the retailer. He's got a position for you."

"What's the deal with former agents?" Tony asked. "Is there a network of you guys?"

"Yes, there is. Unofficial, of course, but a loose network. By the way, Tony, you're a dues paid member of that network now. So are Jack and his young partner. What's his name?"

"Chase," Tony supplied the name.

"Right, Chase. And so is Michelle," Joe added.

"Jack and Chase and Michelle. You're telling me they quit? Michelle can't quit now. She's going to have a baby to support. What is she thinking?"

"Don't worry, Tony. We take care of each other. We're all in the same boat. We all served our countries well. We just pissed off the wrong people and they made sure the country turned its back on us. The three of them will be set up in a legitimate business within the month."

"Legitimate? Like yours?" Tony questioned.

"No, I freelance. I work for who I want, when I want and I make a ton of money. Most of that I put back in the network, but I keep enough so that I'm more than comfortable. Don't worry. Your wife won't be working with drug cartel members or any of the other low life characters that I deal with."

Tony began to relax. He wasn't happy about the situation, but he started to feel better about it. He went to bed with a jumble of emotions. Sadness that his wife was so far away, happiness at the thought of becoming a father, fear of the unknown future. He drifted off to sleep as the sun was rising.

* * *

Michelle slept soundly and woke confused to the sound of someone pounding on her front door. Her first thought was to let Tony get it. Then she remembered that Tony was gone. She got up and grabbed her robe. She tied it tightly around her naked body as she descended the stairs. She looked through the fisheye in the door and saw it was Jack making all of the noise.

"Jack, what are you doing here? What time is it?"

"It's almost noon and nobody could get in touch with you," he said as he closed the door behind him.

"I turned off my phone. I wanted to sleep," she said.

"While you were sleeping, that statement you gave the press started a firestorm. Thousands of people are calling and emailing the television stations and newspapers. It's all they're talking about on the talk radio shows. People want to hear your story. This is your chance to get big support for Tony. The politicians are going to have to weigh in on this issue. This is an election year; you have to use this to your advantage. You're going to need a lawyer and someone to handle public relations. One radio station has already started a fund drive to offset your legal expenses."

As Jack spoke, Michelle turned an even paler than usual shade of white. She put her hand to her mouth as a wave of nausea overtook her. Without a word, she ran to the bathroom and began vomiting.

Jack went to the kitchen and got her a glass of water. He walked to the bathroom and handed her the water and a towel. "Morning sickness or anxiety?" he asked.

"Morning sickness, I think," She answered breathlessly. "I had it at the hotel yesterday, but I thought I was just scared. I never threw up, I was just sick to my stomach."

Twenty minutes later she emerged from the bathroom looking drained.

"Tell me I don't have nine months of this."

Jack smiled. "You don't. Teri's only lasted a few weeks. Try this, it always worked for her." He handed her a plate with toast and jelly and a cup of tea.

She sipped slowly at the tea and finally began to nibble on the toast. She was actually hungrier than she realized and had to stop herself from eating the toast too quickly. They sat silently at the kitchen table.

Michelle finally broke the silence. "So, what do I do next?"

"You need to talk to a lawyer; one that is media savvy. You two work out what you want to say to the press, what angle you want to play. Then you let all of the news outlets know you are available to tell your story. You start out with local LA talk shows and newscasts, but I'll bet you are on national shows within the week. Then you do what you did yesterday. Get people on your side, tell them to write letters. Voters can exert a lot of influence when they want to."

"So, where do I find a lawyer?" Michelle asked.

"Already go you one," Jack smiled.

"How did I know that?" Michelle answered back as she shook her head.

"She's good, Michelle. Her name is Marta Jackson. She's the woman Kate worked with," Jack said, making reference to his former lover, Kate Warner. "When everyone found out that Kate's sister was involved with terrorists, nobody would do business with Warner Enterprises. Marta was able to turn it all around. Within a year, Warner Enterprises had so much business they had to expand. "You have an appointment with her at 3:00 and it will take us at least a half hour to get to her office, so you should probably get ready."

Michelle smiled a half-smile and got up from the table. Her bare feet padded across the tile floor. Before she walked up the steps, she looked back at Jack.

"Where is Tony?" she asked him.

"Exactly? I don't know. It's better if you don't know either, Michelle. He's safe."

"Can you arrange for me to contact him? I'd like to tell him about the baby."

"I suspect he already knows. You know all of your comings and goings are being monitored by CTU. They're watching your phone calls, your mail, your email, everything. You know that. By contacting Tony you put both of you at risk."

Michelle nodded and then turned and walked away. She knew Jack was right, but that didn't make any of this any easier.

"I'm scared, Jack," she said as she shrugged her shoulders and looked around. She tried desperately to hold back tears. "Ok, so I meet with this lawyer and we plan a PR campaign. Then what do I so? What happens next? I quit my job. Tony's gone. I'm pregnant. I've got to find a job and support myself. I've got to be able to pay the mortgage."

"I know this is hard, Michelle, but for right now, let's just concentrate on the lawyer. You aren't going to starve and you aren't going to lose your house. Within the next couple of days, we'll have something in the works so that you have a job. Try not to worry. It's not good for you or the baby."

"What happens to you and Chase? You two are out of jobs, too, and all of that is because you protected Tony."

"Chase and I will be fine. There are a lot of people who think we did the right thing and want to help us, Michelle. If we just let them, we'll all be fine."

Michelle nodded and stared at Jack for a long time. "What about you, Jack? What about the heroin?"

"I'll get help, Michelle. I've already promised Kim that I'd get help. I have an appointment tomorrow with a doctor that specializes in drug addiction. I'll beat this. It's not going to be easy, but I'll beat it."

"Are you high now?" Michelle asked. He certainly wasn't acting high, but he had been able to hide the addiction for months and she wasn't sure if he was just so good at acting normal that she couldn't even distinguish normal from high.

Jack shook his head. "The doctor at CTU medical gave me something to hold down the withdrawal symptoms and to keep me from craving heroin. Right now that's working. He said that I could use it long term, but I'd rather face this thing head on. This just makes me dependent on another drug. I want to be totally clean."

Michelle smiled at him. "Tony would be proud of you and so am I. I'll go get dressed. I guess the sooner I meet with the lawyer, the sooner I'll be able to bring Tony's case to court of public opinion. And the sooner that he gets back here to me. And, by the way, once he's back here, if you slip back onto the heroin, he's going to kick your ass."

"I know. Why do you think I'm so damned determined to get off this stuff?" Jack smiled back. "I'm getting too old to fight with Tony. He could beat the crap out of me."

Michelle quickly showered and dressed and soon she and Jack were off to meet with Marta Jackson. The three of them spent the next couple of hours strategizing and before Michelle left Marta's office, the lawyer had already set up an interview for that evening in an attempt to keep the story fresh in the public's mind.

At 8 o'clock, a nervous Michelle sat in a news studio waiting to be interviewed for a local news show. She was already scheduled to do three more local interviews the next day and the national shows were just starting to call. Michelle knew she had made a decision she couldn't go back on. It wasn't going to be easy, but she had to do it. She wouldn't let Tony down, not after all he sacrificed for her.

The part that scared her the most was that there were no guarantees. She hoped that the public outcry generated by her interviews would result in having all of the charges against Tony dropped. If that didn't work, then she would fight for a presidential pardon. But if none of it worked, Tony would be stuck in exile, probably thousands of miles away from her forever. That was the part she tried not to think about. _Stay strong!_ she told herself. _You're all Tony's got right now and you can't let him down._


	5. Argentina

Chapter 6: Argentina

Joe Sanchez logged off the internet and called upstairs for Tony who had slept until the late afternoon, had finally eaten and was just now stepping out of the shower.

"Tony," Joe called. "Your wife is going to be on a news show this evening. I just found the listing on the internet. I'll see if I can pick up the channel."

Tony trotted down the steps in tight jeans and a t-shirt. He decided not to shave since all of the descriptions of him noted that he was clean shaven. He had on occasion worn a beard and mustache and he liked the look.

"Michelle's on television! When?"

"The show starts in 15 minutes," Joe replied. "Get us a couple of beers from the fridge and we'll watch. I bet she gives the interviewer a run for his money," Joe chuckled.

The interview was impressive. Everyone sympathized with Michelle and Tony. They were seen as tragic heroes, trying to defend a country that had now turned against them both. Over the next few days Michelle was on virtually every news show in LA and then started to appear on the national news shows. Tony watched every appearance and grew prouder of her by the day. He knew this was putting a strain on her, all of the travel on top of the pregnancy. He began to feel guilty that he was putting her through this. But on each appearance she looked well and confident and ready to carry this fight on forever.

The next two week passed slowly for Tony. He spent most of his time on the internet reading the hundreds of news stories that were being printed about him and Michelle and his family. It seemed as if everyone he knew had been interviewed and had an opinion. He was able to watch Michelle on television on a daily basis which always made him feel better.

Almost three weeks after his arrival at Joe's house, Tony stood in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Living with Joe as a little like living with Michelle, Tony though wryly; Joe couldn't cook worth a damn either.

Joe walked into the kitchen and inhaled the scent of huevos rancheros. "I'm going to miss having you around to cook, son, but I just got word that we're a go. My sources say the heat has died down and it's safe to move you to Argentina."

Tony put two steaming plates on the table. "What's the plan?" he asked.

"I'll fly you to Costa Rica. There we've got you booked as a hand on a freighter to Chile. Once you are in Chile we have ground transport to Argentina."

They would not fly out until after dark which gave Tony the whole day to be anxious. He had settled into a routine at Joe's and didn't really want to leave, but knew that he had no choice.

Joe had a two engine Cessna at a private airstrip. They flew through clear skies with a bright moon and eventually landed at a small airport in Costa Rica. Tony watched as Joe paid the man in charge a large sum of money to make sure the flight was not on their log book.

"Joe, I don't know how to thank you," Tony said as they shook hands.

"Beat those charges and get back to that pretty wife. That's all the thanks I need." Joe continued, "When Manny called me and asked me to stash you at my place, my first instinct was to say 'No'. I didn't need to play nursemaid to some candy ass U.S. agent who pissed off the government then decided he didn't have the balls to stick around and face the charges. But Manny said it would be a favor to Jack. So I eventually said 'Yes'. Then I heard your story on television and a couple of hours later, I met you and I realized that I was wrong. What you did took real character. I hear you even went up against Jack. Now, that took guts, Son. I've never even gone up against Jack. Be careful. If you need anything, I mean anything, Juan will know how to get in touch with me." He surprised Tony by embracing him as they said goodbye.

Joe directed Tony to take a bus to the port, where be would board the freighter. Joe supplied him with fake ID. Although it was dark, Tony made sure he stayed in the shadows with a hat pulled low to hide his eyes.

He boarded the freighter without any questions and was shown to a cabin that he shared with 10 other men. He followed orders and stayed to himself. He spoke as few words as possible since his Spanish was tainted with an American accent and he feared giving himself away. He doubted, however that any of these men had heard anything of his escape since they had been on board ship for weeks and little world news trickled in, but he didn't want to arouse anyone's suspicion.

The work on the freighter was monotonous and physically exhausting, but Tony didn't mind. Frankly, it took his thoughts off of Michelle. He was so tired by the time he went to bed at night that he fell immediately asleep.

Four days later, as the ship was about to enter the port in Chile, Tony was approached by an officer. The officer gave him an order that required that Tony go off by himself for a few moments. Once alone, the officer returned and spoke to him in English.

"Tony, I have instructions for you," he said as he handed him an envelope containing a bus ticket. "After we dock, leave the port and find some cover until dark. Then go to the bus station, it's about 3 miles from the port and board this bus." He paused, "You're armed, right?"

"Yes," was all Tony said.

"Good, you may meet some pretty unsavory characters on that bus. More than a little bit of cocaine travels this same route. So, be careful. The good news is that you'll be in Argentina in two days and then you're safe. Juan will meet you at the bus depot in Buenos Aires."

When the ship reached port, Tony helped in the unloading process as did all of the other hands. Once the ship was unloaded, they were all given their pay and told they had shore leave for the next seven hours. Tony donned his backpack and left the ship with the other men. They walked in pack talking loudly. Tony slipped to the back group and when no one was looking, he stepped into a narrow alley. He stayed there for some time making sure the group was well ahead of him before he left the alley. He found a wooded area not far away where he could sit silently among the overgrown brush and not be seen. He had taken some bread and cheese from the ship's galley so he would not have to look for food. He sat back under the shade of the trees waiting for nightfall.

As darkness fell, he checked his surroundings to make sure no one was watching. When he was sure it was safe, he pulled out his handheld GPS and plotted a course to the bus terminal. He plotted a circuitous route that kept him off any major streets and calculated that it would take him about an hour to get to the terminal. That way he would have just enough time to catch the bus and not have to stand around where he could be spotted.

As planned he boarded the bus just as it was about to leave. The bus was ancient and rickety and had no air conditioning. He walked to a seat in the rear as the bus started to pull out. He took note of the other passengers. All were poorly dressed. A couple of young girls, probably no more than 17 years old, held babies or toddlers in their arms. An elderly couple clung to each other looking frightened of the two young men sitting behind them. _They probably should be frightened_, Tony thought. He could see the tip of an ankle holster peeking out from one of the boy's pant legs, no doubt drug runners. Tony settled into an empty seat in the back of the bus. He slipped his hand down to his own gun and removed it from the holster. He left the safety on and kept the gun hidden under his backpack, but decided that he wanted the weapon readily accessible. He pulled his hat down low over his eyes and pretended to sleep, but remained vigilant through the night.

The next two days were grueling. The bus was hot and dirty from the dust kicked up by its bald tires through the many broken window panes. Tony's initial fear had subsided. Although he was sure the young men a few rows up, and probably several more that he noticed, were drug runners, they didn't cause any trouble and after the first night, Tony holstered his gun and allowed himself to relax. They stopped every couple of hours for food and bathroom breaks. Tony rarely left the bus, especially during the day, still afraid of being caught. He doubted if the poor people in this rural area of South America would have seen his picture on the news but chose not to take any chances.

He finally reached his destination feeling gritty and hungry and tired. He stepped purposefully off the bus not quite knowing who he was looking for but not wanting to look lost and draw attention to himself. He felt more than heard someone come up from behind him.

"Tony?" the voice said.

"Juan?" he responded.

"Yeah," was the answer.

Tony turned around relieved to find a man about his own age fitting the description that Joe had given him. They left the bus depot without another word and Tony followed Juan to his car. Juan explained that he had found a loft apartment for Tony not far from their office. It was basically furnished and he had stocked the refrigerator with the essentials and left a couple of changes of clothes in the closet. He dropped Tony off and told him to get some rest. He would be by in the morning to pick Tony up, take him to the office and explain the rest of the arrangements.

Tony settled quickly into life in Argentina. His new business partners, Juan Rodriguez and Pedro Cabrera were wonderful. Cabrera was a former Brazilian government agent who also found himself on the outs with his government. Although not formally charged with any crime, it was clear he was not welcome in Brazil.

Tony enjoyed the work they did and he immersed himself in it. Typically, he rose at 5:00 and went for a run. He was in the office by 7am and rarely left before 7pm. Three nights a week he left work and went to the gym for a couple of hours to work out before finally coming home too tired to think about much before he dropped into bed. On the nights he didn't go to the gym, he often stayed in the office until 10 or 11 o'clock and surfed the internet looking for any stories about Michelle's fight to get his name cleared.

The weekends were worse. He still got up early to run and usually went in to the office for at least 8 hours, but the loneliness when he returned to his one-bedroom apartment was unbearable and he found himself drinking far more than he should in a vain attempt to dull the pain.

He also continued to watch any appearances Michelle made on American television. He marveled at her poise. He always knew he had married an extraordinary woman, but this was more than he could have ever expected of her. As the months passed, he noticed that her face was getting a little fuller and on the rare occasion that she was not sitting at a desk or table, he could see her belly expanding. It made him smile and broke his heart all at the same time.

For their part, Juan, Pedro and the office assistants did their best to make Tony feel welcome and forget that he was thousands of miles from home. A couple of months after arriving, Juan and his wife had a party for some friends and the office staff. Tony watched Juan and Pedro with their families and longed to have Michelle beside him. As was quickly becoming his habit, he started drinking whenever he thought of Michelle. By the time the party was drawing to a close, he was far too drunk to drive home. He sat alone continuing to down one drink after another as his secretary, Pilar, sat down beside him.

"Mr. Morales, you aren't planning to drive, are you?" She asked. Antonio Morales was the identity that Tony had assumed when he arrived in Argentina, although everyone in the office knew his real name.

She was flirting with him as usual, but he didn't care. Her good looks were not lost on him. She had dark brown hair that just kissed her shoulders and huge brown eyes. Her lips were soft and full and she had an amazing figure.

"Why? Don't you think I should?" he flirted back.

"No, you'll kill someone. Let me take you home. I can bring you over to pick up your car tomorrow." She took his hand and he stood up unsteadily. They got into her red BMW convertible and started for Tony's apartment.

Pilar could certainly not afford this car on her salary as Tony's secretary, but everyone in the office knew her story. She was the daughter of a farmer in a poor, rural area of Argentina. By the time she was 18, she knew she wanted more from life than the son of the farmer a couple of kilometers down the dirt road could offer her. So she ran away to Buenos Aires to find a man who more suited her tastes.

She arrived in the capital with little more than the clothes on her back, but found a job as a waitress in an exclusive club and began to make friends. Within a year, she was dating a rich divorcee who was older than her father. She was 19 and he was 64 and she didn't care. He bought her beautiful jewelry and clothes and soon moved her into his mansion. She stopped working and spent her days shopping and traveling and having fun with her girlfriends. The two were married on her 20th birthday. She knew she didn't love him, but then again, did her mother and father really love each other? Hardly. They fought constantly and barely eked out an existence. At least she liked Javier and he was good to her and he was rich. What more could she want?

Javier died seven years later leaving Pilar a very rich widow at the age of only 27. She enjoyed the lifestyle for a couple of years, but eventually became bored. Juan's wife, Rosa, had known Pilar since they had been waitresses at the same club years earlier. Rosa joked that she should have stayed closer to Pilar and maybe she too would have met a rich, old guy instead of Juan. When Tony stared working with Juan and needed a secretary at least a few days a week, Rosa suggested that Juan ask Pilar. She was looking for something to occupy her time and was actually quite computer literate. Not a bad idea, Juan agreed. Pilar was even more interested when she met her handsome new American boss. This was just the opportunity she had been looking for. She hadn't dated anyone in a while and Tony was a prime catch. The fact that he had a pregnant wife who he obviously loved very much was only a minor obstacle for Pilar.

Tony slipped into the leather passenger seat of the convertible and fell asleep as Pilar drove away from Juan's home. The next thing he knew, Pilar was standing next to the open passenger side door waking him up. Pilar insisted that she walk him up to his apartment although the fresh air and sleep had sobered him up considerably.

Tony invited her in and asked if she would like some coffee. Pilar laughed and said, "I don't really trust you to make anything right now. Sit down, I'll make it."

Tony directed her to the coffee and the mugs while he sat on a bar stool at the counter. He rested his elbows on the counter and put his head in his hands. He regretted drinking so much today. He didn't like his business associates to see him this way. He would definitely have to exercise more self control in the future.

Pilar came up behind him as the coffee was brewing and began to rub his shoulders. "You better take some aspirin or you're going to feel lousy in the morning," she said.

"It won't be the first time," Tony answered shortly to cover his embarrassment. He sat up straight and let his head roll forward enjoying the massage.

Pilar's hands drifted down to his chest. She leaned forward and allowed her ample breasts to rest against his back just below the nape of his neck. Her hands moved back to his shoulders for a moment then she let them slide down his back and under his shirt. His eyes were closed and he felt her hands on his bare skin. She pressed her lips against the back of his neck then moved over to his ear. He felt her hot breath as her tongue tickled the edge of his ear. He was quickly becoming aroused.

He stood up, and feeling the effects of the alcohol, he stepped clumsily around the bar stool. He turned to face her. He put his hands on her shoulders and started to pull her toward him. He moved his hands down and began to fondle her breasts. They were so much larger than Michelle's. That thought brought him back to reality and he suddenly felt very sober. He moved his hands to her shoulders and pushed her gently away as he took a step back.

"This… this is wrong, Pilar. We shouldn't be… I shouldn't be doing this," Tony stammered.

Pilar walked toward him and put her hands on his waist. "Don't try and tell me you don't want me," she said as she gestured to the telltale bulge in his tight jeans.

"You're wrong Pilar. Yes, I'm aroused and if my wife were here, I would probably maul her. But it's her that I want."

Pilar wouldn't be deterred. "Tony, she's not here. For all you know, you may never see her again. I'm here right now. You have a need you would like to have fulfilled and I would like nothing more than to fulfill it." She drew closer to him pressing her pelvis against his.

Tony pulled away again. "I love my wife, Pilar. I made a vow to be faithful to her. Right now she's putting all of her effort into securing my freedom. She's carrying my child. How could I possibly cheat on her? And why are you wasting your time on a married man? Pilar, you're gorgeous."

She looked surprised.

He continued, "Yes, I've noticed. I'd have to dead not to! There must be thousands of eligible men out there for you."

Tears filled Pilar's eyes. "They are only interested in me because I have money. But you…you have been so sweet to me and you wanted nothing in return. I thought maybe…" She didn't finish the sentence as she turned and walked away. She stopped as she opened the door.

"Pilar," he started. "I didn't mean to lead you on. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"No, Tony, it's not you, it's me." She paused for a moment as she lingered in the door. "I hope your wife knows how lucky she is. I'll see you on Monday unless, of course, you would rather I, uh, found other employment."

"No, no. You're a great secretary. I don't want you to quit. I'll see you Monday."

With that, Pilar stepped out of the door and Tony closed it behind her. He felt terribly guilty. Could today have gone any worse? _Let's see_, he thought. _I got drunk in front of the entire office staff, hurt Pilar and almost cheated on Michelle._

He walked back to the kitchen and poured a gin and tonic that was far more gin than tonic. As he raised it to his lips, the piney scent of gin assaulted his nostrils. He had to stop this. He was drinking too much. He could understand now how Jack had gotten hooked on heroin. Jack's excuse was that he needed to do it to maintain his cover with the Salazars, but Tony knew that wasn't the whole truth. Jack needed the heroin to dull the pain, to forget all of the hurt he had suffered. So, too was Tony using alcohol to dull his pain, to forget how much he missed his wife and his family and his friends and the life he had created for himself in LA.

He poured the drink down the drain and reached for the coffee that Pilar had made. As he drank it, he talked out loud to Michelle as if she were there. He told her he loved her and that things would be different. He wanted to make sure he didn't turn himself into someone she wouldn't love when he finally got home to her.

Michelle spent those same months equally sad but keeping very busy. She, too, settled into a new job. As Joe had promised, Jack, Chase and Michelle were set up in a computer security business providing services to banks and brokerage houses. She and Chase really did the initial set up while Jack spent four weeks in an inpatient rehab to treat his heroin addiction. The business grew quickly and Michelle found herself constantly on the go between work and guest appearances and making contact with government officials as she continued to fight to clear Tony's name. Like Tony, she made sure she was exhausted before she went to bed because she couldn't stand to lay awake thinking of him. Tiring herself out was getting easier and easier as Tony's baby grew inside of her.


	6. Sophie

Chapter 7: Sophie

Anna Sophia Almeida entered the world at 11:54 am weighing over 8 pounds and screaming loudly enough to make sure everyone knew she had arrived. As soon as the doctor cut the cord, the nurses cleaned her up and wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to Michelle. Michelle was exhausted from 20 hours of labor that she thought would never end. Thank goodness Tony's mother and two sisters had never left her side. She eagerly reached out to take the crying baby in her arms. She marveled at the baby's thick black hair and brown eyes.

"I thought all babies had blue eyes," she commented.

"Dear, none of my babies had blue eyes," her mother-in-law offered. "She looks a lot like her father."

Michelle gazed at her new daughter. Maria Almeida was right. The little girl looked like Tony. In her heart, Michelle strengthened her commitment to bring Tony home. She would never stop fighting, she thought as she kissed her daughter's forehead.

* * *

Thousands of miles and several time zones away, Tony was at work oblivious to the fact that he had recently become a father. He had just hung up from a conference call with a client when Pilar leaned in the open door.

"Is there anything you need before I go home?" she asked.

"Yeah, could you order some dinner for me from the carryout down the street, please. I'm going to be working late tonight."

"You work late every night, Mr. Morales," she retorted. "What did you want to eat?"

"I don't know. Anything. Order for me. Tell them I'll pick it up in a half hour."

"I'll take care of it. See you tomorrow."

Tony watched her walk out of his office. She made sure her hips swayed seductively. He smiled. Despite his rejecting her in the past, she continued to flirt with him. Didn't she understand that she was wasting her time? His heart was far away. No woman could ever have the hold on him that Michelle had.

He walked back to the office after picking up his dinner and spread it out on his desk. He decided to take a break from work and surf the internet while he ate. As the months passed since his disappearance, the public interest in the story waned. Michelle was still a favorite on some of the Fox and CNN news shows, but the number of appearances she made had dwindled to one or two a month. A search on Michelle's name brought an unexpected number of hits. Tony clicked on the first one, a wire service story:

Michelle Almeida, wife of fugitive Tony Almeida, gave birth to the couple's first child this morning. A daughter, named Anna Sophia was born at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in LA. The hospital released few details but said that both mother and baby are doing well.

Mr. Almeida has been charged with treason stemming from his actions to save his wife's life during the bioterrorist threat in Los Angeles earlier this year. Mrs. Almeida has gained notoriety in recent months due to her staunch support for her husband and efforts to have his name cleared.

"Anna Sophia," Tony said aloud to the empty office.

It was a name they had picked out before they were even married. Anna in memory of Michelle's mother, Anne, and Sophia in memory of Tony's grandmother. They would call her Sophie.

"Anna Sophia," he said again.

He could feel the smile erupting on his face. _I'm a father_! he thought unable to control the smile. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Emotions came at him like waves hitting a beach: The joy at becoming a father and relief that Michelle and the baby were okay. But soon these were replaced by sadness that he was not there to be with Michelle, to hold her hand, to see his daughter. All of this gave way to anger. Anger. The anger overwhelmed him.

The anger was directed at everyone. He was angry at Stephen Saunders for forcing him into such an impossible situation. He was angry at the U.S. government for not understanding and dropping the charges. He was angry at President Palmer for not pardoning him. He was angry at himself for not better protecting Michelle. He was angry at Michelle for being so damn beautiful and making him love her so much. He was angry at his parents for wanting so much for their son to rise through the ranks of government service and prove that an immigrant's son could accomplish so much. He was angry at God for everything.

He paced around his spacious office frantically not knowing what to do next. Tony let out a cry of rage, then swept his arm across a coffee table sending magazines and a potted plant flying. He then kicked over the coffee table. He swung around and reached for his desk. He grabbed the Cubs mug Juan had brought back from his last business trip to Chicago and flung it against the wall where it smashed spilling its contents all over the leather sofa below.

He dropped into his desk chair and jerked open the side drawer. He was breathing deeply and rapidly as if he had just run a long distance. He put his hand in the drawer and withdrew his gun, casually flipping off the safety. He began to raise the barrel of the gun when he caught sight of the picture of Michelle that sat on his desk. It was just a small picture of her sitting on the beach that he had been carrying in his wallet when he fled. It was the only picture he had of her. She was so pretty. He stared at the picture, trying to catch his breath.

"I won't do that to you, Baby," he whispered as he secured the safety and dropped the gun on the floor.

He took the framed picture and clutched it to his chest crying as he had never cried before. His entire body was wracked with sobs.

He didn't know how long he cried; it felt like days. When he next looked at the clock it said 9:30. He had a pounding headache from crying. He rubbed his forehead with his hand and picked up the phone to call Pedro. Pedro was in Eastern Europe negotiating contracts with clients in the Russian Republic. With the time difference it would be morning there.

"Hello," Pedro answered in English. Outside of Spanish speaking countries, they did all of their business in English.

"Pedro," Tony said. "It's Tony."

"Hey, Tony," Pedro said cheerily. "You sound like awful. What's up?"

"I must be coming down with a cold," Tony lied. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure, anything," Pedro replied.

"I need you to send flowers to my wife."

"That must mean you're a new father. Congratulations!"

"Yeah, thanks. Baby girl, born this morning," said Tony trying to sound happy.

"You don't sound very happy about it," Pedro noted.

"I'm not happy about the fact that I'm 5000 miles away from her. Anyway, I want to send flowers and they have to be untraceable."

"Absolutely, I can take care of that." Pedro was well aware that a common mistake made by fugitives was to contact family in the days surrounding a special event such as a wedding, funeral or birth. "Something special or just a nice arrangement?"

Tony was very specific. "I want a dozen, long stemmed, white roses and three rubrum lilies in a vase. The card should read 'Always and forever'. She'll know who they're from. Send them to St. Elizabeth's hospital in LA."

"Consider it done," Pedro answered. "Anything else?"

"I want a gold cross necklace sent to the baby. Same message on the card, but send that to my home address. I'll reimburse you for everything when you get home."

They exchanged goodbyes and hung up. Tony stood up and started cleaning up the mess he had made. He felt old and defeated and for the first time since this whole thing started, he feared he would never see Michelle again. He went home and drank until he passed out.

* * *

Michelle sat up in bed holding her beautiful new daughter. Barely 24 hours old and she was amazingly alert, thought her mother. Michelle couldn't take her eyes off of Sophie and wished Tony could see her, too. A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she called.

"Feel like some company?" Kate Warner asked as she stepped in the door.

"We'd love some," Michelle smiled.

Kate walked in followed by Jack. The two had reconciled a few months after Jack left CTU and got his heroin addition under control. They had been married in a quiet ceremony only two weeks earlier.

"You look great!" Kate said as she hugged Michelle. "Oh, she's beautiful! Can I hold her?"

Michelle handed Sophie to Kate who cooed quietly to her.

"Maybe you two will be next," Michelle suggested.

"We're talking about it," Kate said. "Maybe next year, right Jack?"

Before Jack could answer there was a light knock at the door. A hospital volunteer that Michelle had already seen twice that morning opened the door.

"More flowers, Mrs. Almeida," she said as she brought in a cart with three more flower arrangements.

"You could open your own flower shop," Jack commented indicating the large number of plants and flowers already in the room. "Who are they all from?"

"From just about everyone Tony and I know and some that I don't. I guess people have seen me on TV and decided to send flowers. You should see all the gifts that I've received. Tony's mother is cataloging all of them. They're coming in from all over the country." Michelle opened the card from the first arrangement and found it was from everyone at CTU. The second was from Tony's brothers and sisters. The third arrangement stood in a tall vase and was covered by green tissue paper. Michelle reached up to uncover it.

"Let me help you," Jack offered. He opened the tissue paper to reveal a vase filled with white roses and rubrum lilies. He handed Michelle the card and noticed her hands were shaking as she opened it.

"Aren't they pretty!" Kate exclaimed. "What an interesting combination. Who are they from?"

Jack knew where he had seen that same combination before. Tony had a wedding picture of Michelle on his desk where she was holding a bouquet with the same flowers. He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. Michelle felt her eyes fill with tears, but she managed to blink them away before Kate noticed.

"They're from someone I didn't expect to hear from."

Jack and Kate had stopped by on their lunch hour, so they couldn't stay long. As they left they promised that they would stop by Michelle's house the next night and bring dinner.

After they left, Michelle lifted Sophie up so their cheeks touched.

"Always and forever, Sweetie," she whispered. "I know he's not here, but he will love you always and forever."


	7. Home

Chapter 8: Home

Tony looked both ways before he stepped off of the bus. No one was around. He adjusted his backpack and stepped onto the curb. He walked into the public park just past the bus stop. It was a particularly dark night with no moon, he planned it that way. The park was deserted at this hour of the night except for a pair of indiscreet lovers in a secluded area and some kids smoking pot behind a hedge.

Tony walked through the park and into the wooded area behind it. He pulled out his GPS to make sure he stayed on the right course. The house he and Michelle had shared for almost 2 ½ years was on the other side of the woods, about a 2 mile walk. It had taken him 4 days to get here from Argentina and in another half hour he would be home again, at least for a while.

Tony had spent the six weeks since Sophie's birth planning this. He awoke late the morning after her birth with an incredible hangover. He was on the couch in his apartment, an empty bottle of vodka on the floor, the phone ringing incessantly. He reached for the phone. "Yeah," was all he could manage.

"Tony, its Juan. It's 10:30, we're all worried about you. You're normally the first one here."

"I slept in, Juan. Give me an hour, I'll be in." Tony hung up without another word and dragged himself off of the couch and into the shower. He stood for a long time, letting the cool water run over his aching head. All he could think about was Sophie. He knew that he could not live without seeing her, holding her. He and Michelle had created this child through their intense love and to not see her was to deny that love. He went to work and strode directly in Juan's office, closing the door behind him. He told Juan what he wanted to do. Juan was opposed to any attempts for Tony to sneak back into the U.S., but knew that he could not talk Tony out of this.

They both knew that the Feds would be closely monitoring all of Michelle's communications for the next few weeks in hopes that he would try to contact her. He would have to wait at least a month and possibly more. He started formulating a plan. He contacted Joe who was more than happy to help. Tony and Juan started having almost daily planning sessions, often with Joe on speaker phone as the three hatched an elaborate plan for Tony to go home, if only for a short time.

All of the planning had paid off and now Tony stood less than 50 yards from his house. As he neared the edge of the woods, Tony pulled a pair of night vision binoculars from his backpack and scanned the area. No one was in sight. He looked across the street at his house. His heart was pounding in his chest. He was both happy and nervous. He was soon to meet his six week old daughter for the first time. But to do so he would have to break into his own house and probably scare his wife to death. He prayed that she hadn't changed the locks or the combination to the security system. Chloe had hacked into the security system files and determined that she had not updated the system, but that was all she was able to find out. If the combination had been changed, Tony would have to revert to plan B, but that was complex and he hoped not to be forced into that situation. In fact, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and concentrated on the current situation.

The house was dark except for the two porch lights. Michelle, ever security conscious, never went to bed without turning on the porch lights. He wished she would have forgotten tonight. This was extra light that he didn't need. Again, it was an obstacle that he would have to deal with. Tony took a deep breath and started across the street. As he did, a light came on in an upstairs room. Quickly, he stepped back into the shelter of the trees.

He assumed Michelle had turned that room into a nursery and that she was responding to a late night request from their daughter for food or a diaper change. Tony checked his watch. He knew he couldn't go into the house until Michelle was asleep. If she heard him and had time to react, she would put a bullet in his chest. She had always been an expert marksman. He had to take her by surprise.

It was about 20 minutes before the light went off. Tony decided he better give Michelle at least another 20 minutes to go back to sleep. Again he checked his watch. The waiting was interminable. After 25 minutes he decided to chance it. He checked the street again with the binoculars, found it clear and strode across.

As he stepped on the porch, he pulled the remote control for the security system from his pocket. He hit the button and disarmed the system. He exhaled quietly, one obstacle down. Next he placed his key easily into the lock. He smiled as it turned and he heard the dead bolt slide back. He stepped in silently and took off his shoes. He padded softly across the room and moved up the stairs staying close to the wall. Snickers, the cat, stood at the top of the stairs looking down at him. She must have recognized his smell and ran down the steps to rub against his legs. He picked her up and stroked her soft fur for a second then continued up the steps.

At the top, he peaked around the corner. He could see Michelle lying on her side facing away from the door. Her slow, steady breathing indicated that she was asleep. This was going to be easy.

He put Snickers down on the floor and quickly crossed into the bedroom. In a single motion he clamped his hand over her mouth and turned her over on her back. She immediately began to struggle and tried to scream. She had always been very strong with a martial arts background, but he could tell she was deconditioned from the pregnancy and could not put up much of a fight. He leaned his body gently into hers to stop her from fighting, all the while whispering to her.

"Baby, it me. It's Tony. Honey, I'm home."

A look of recognition finally crossed Michelle's face. She stopped struggling as he uncovered her mouth.

"Oh, Tony!" was all she could say.

He held her face in his hands and drew her to him. They kissed, tenderly at first and then more intensely. Their mouths open and tongues probing. She put her hands on the back of his head to pull him closer. They finally broke the kiss and rested their foreheads together, out of breath.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here?" she asked.

"I'm here to see you and our daughter," he answered kissing the tip of her nose.

"Tony, you scared the life out of me! My heart is still pounding."

"I know. I'm sorry about that. It was the only way. I had to take you by surprise," he apologized.

She stroked his beard. "I like it," she said as she kissed him lightly. "You shouldn't be here. It isn't safe. What if someone sees you?"

"It's okay. I was careful. I wasn't followed. Nobody knows I'm here unless you tell them. Now, let's go see Sophie."

He helped her out of bed. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. She was wearing an old button down shirt of his. It was too big for her and hung midway down her thighs; she rolled up the too long sleeves to expose her forearms and hands. He found it incredibly sexy.

"You never used to wear anything to bed," he noted.

"Yeah, I didn't used to get up 3 times a night either," she said with a smile.

They tiptoed hand in hand into Sophie's room. Michelle turned on a nightlight that cast a soft glow on the baby's pink cheeks. Tony reached down to pick her up.

"Tony!" Michelle whispered urgently. "She just went to sleep."

"I don't care, Honey. I want to hold my daughter."

He picked her up tenderly and pressed his lips gently to her forehead. She stretched and yawned and let out a precious cooing sound that brought tears to her father's eyes. He carried her over to the rocking chair and sat rocking the sleeping infant and staring at her. Michelle watched the two of them with tears streaming silently down her face.

"She's incredible. I can't believe I'm finally holding her. I almost lost my mind the day she was born. I wanted to see her. I wanted to be with you. I hated that you had to go through all of this without me." Tony spoke in a soft voice so as not to wake Sophie.

After holding her for a long time, he got up from the chair, hissed her forehead and placed her back in the crib. She looked so tiny lying there and it broke his heart to know how quickly she would grow and that he would miss it all.

Michelle reached out and took his hand. They stood for a moment longer watching Sophie sleep, then Michelle led Tony back to their bedroom. He closed the door behind them. They reached for each other in the dark room and began kissing, their bodies pressed together. Michelle's hand dropped to his belt buckle and she began to open it.

Tony took her shoulders and pushed her gently away. She looked at him startled and confused.

"Hey," he whispered. "Should we be doing this? You just had a baby. I don't want to hurt you."

She smiled with relief. "I had a baby almost seven weeks ago, Sweetheart. Believe me, it's okay." She stood facing him and unbuttoned the shirt she was wearing.

Tony reached out, opened the shirt and pushed it off of her shoulders. It fell to the floor. He picked her up in his strong arms and carried her to their bed.

"God, you're gorgeous," he whispered as he stroked her body.

"I still haven't lost all of the weight I gained with Sophie," Michelle said, embarrassed by the compliment.

"You're perfect the way you are." He noticed that her hips and breasts were fuller than they had been, but he liked them that way. He undressed and eased himself onto the bed next to Michelle. They began to kiss and caress. Tony kissed her face and started to work his way down her neck. They made love with an intensity neither of them had ever felt before. They climaxed within seconds of one another, and then lay exhausted and breathless in each others arms. They lay silently for a few minutes and without a word, began to make love again. This time, Michelle took the lead and they again came to a spectacular climax with neither of them making any attempt to stifle their cries of passion.

"I love you so much," Tony said tenderly. "And I've missed you so much."

He was lying on his back, Michelle on her side with her head on his chest, arm across his body. She inhaled deeply to take in his scent. He hadn't showered in a while and he smelled muskier than usual. Not unpleasant, just more intense than she remembered.

Michelle broke the silence. "How did you get here?" she asked.

"It's better if you don't know," he answered.

"How long can you stay?" she asked, fearful of the answer.

"About a week," he told her.

"A week!" she sat up smiling. "Oh, Tony, I thought you'd have to leave by dawn. A week! It's like a lifetime!" She stopped. "Oh, no, how are we going to keep you hidden for a week. Your parents come over at least every other day. They're watching Sophie for me tomorrow morning while I go into the office for a few hours."

"All taken care of, Honey. You and Sophie and I are going to a secluded beach house up the coast until Tuesday. Nobody will see us there."

"Tony, Sophie and I can't just disappear. How do I explain that?"

"You tell everyone you decided that you and Sophie need to get away for a few days. You need to be alone, to think, whatever. After all you've been through, no one will question you."

"Honey, your parents are coming over at 10 o'clock tomorrow. Are you going to let them see you?" Michelle asked. "Oh, Tony, it would make them so happy."

He shook his head. "They can't see me, Michelle. I love them, but I can't trust them to keep this quiet. I know their intentions are good, but my mother will tell one of my brothers or sisters and the next thing you know they'll all know about it. There will be a leak. It's too much of a risk. Call them in the morning and tell them about the trip. Say you decided not to go into the office. I'll watch Sophie while you're gone."

"Jack is going to see through this in a minute, Tony."

"That's okay. Jack will keep his mouth shut. He knows what's at stake. Honey, you can do this. You _have_ to do this," he said emphatically.

Michelle settled back in his arms. "You're right, I'll do it."

They drifted off to sleep peacefully in each others arms. Tony woke about an hour later when he heard Sophie begin to fuss. Michelle hadn't heard her yet so Tony slipped out of bed and into the nursery. She hadn't really started to cry, but was well on her way.

"Hey," he whispered as he picked her up. "Let's let Mommy sleep a little longer. Why don't I get you a clean diaper?" He laid her on the changing table and easily changed her diaper. As the oldest of eight children he had had plenty of practice. She seemed satisfied to be held and rocked for a while but eventually her cries intensified as she demanded food.

Tony took her to their bedroom, where Michelle was just getting fully awake. He propped the pillows against the headboard then sat down and leaned against them. He pulled Michelle in his arms so she was leaning against him then he handed her the baby. Sophie hungrily latched on to her mother's breast. Tony and Michelle watched in silence. Tony stroked Michelle's arm and put his pinky in Sophie's hand. She wrapped her tiny fingers around it. He listened to the soft suckling noises she made as she ate. Tony buried his lips in his wife's hair, kissed her softly and said a prayer in his heart that this moment would never end.

Sophie wasn't ready to go to sleep after nursing, so Tony and Michelle played with her while discussing plans for the day. Eventually they both got up and showered and dressed. Michelle called Tony's parents and told them her plan. They not only didn't question it, but thought it a good idea. Michelle went to the office leaving Tony who was thrilled with the chance to give his daughter a bath and spend time with her.

Michelle arrived at the office after dropping Snickers off at the kennel, unable to hide the fact that she was distracted. She completed her work quickly, then tried to casually mention to Jack and Chase that she was taking a few days off.

Chase smiled and said, "Have a good time. You deserve it. You barely took a day off when Sophie was born. See you when you get back." He walked out the door for a client meeting leaving Michelle alone with Jack.

"So, where are you three going?" Jack asked, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Three?" Michelle asked back. "It's just Sophie and me, Jack."

"Come on, Michelle," he retorted. "You can't lie to an old liar like me. When did he get here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, having difficulty making eye contact with him.

"Michelle, I knew the minute you walked in here. You're a different person than the one who walked through the door yesterday. It's okay. You know the secret is safe with me. Tell him I said hello," Jack added softly.

Michelle was home by noon as planned. Tony had packed a suitcase of his old clothes and all of the necessities for Sophie. Michelle quickly packed a bag for herself while Tony stowed everything in the car inside a closed garage so no one would see them. Michelle secured Sophie in the back seat, then got in behind the wheel.

They decided it would be best if Tony kept low in the back seat to stay out of sight at least until they got to the freeway. So he temporarily huddled half on the seat and half on the floor as Michelle pulled out of the driveway and headed toward the Coastal Highway. As she drove, she paid attention to both the road in front of her and the traffic behind her. She was good at spotting a tail and after twenty minutes decided that they were alone.

"You can come out now," Michelle said playfully. "I'm pretty sure that we're clear."

"Thank God! I was starting to feel like a pretzel!" Tony laughed as he stretched his legs and got up into the seat. He looked at Sophie all tucked into her car seat and smiled. Her wide brown eyes were already getting heavy as the motion of the car lulled her to sleep. "She's amazing, Michelle," Tony whispered. "I can't believe how perfect she is."

"I hate it that she's growing up without you, Tony," Michelle said as she glanced in the rearview mirror. "I want her to know how much you love her."

"I'm not going to be gone forever, honey. You're going to convince the Feds to drop the charges. I know it. I have faith in you. You're going to make it happen. We just have to be patient."

"I know," Michelle agreed. "I'll get it done, Tony. I promise you that I'll get it done, but in the meantime, I miss you."

"I know, baby, I miss you, too. Let's not worry about it right now. We have a few days together and then it starts all over, but until then, I plan to enjoy every minute."


	8. The Beach

Chapter 9: The Beach

The four hour ride to the beach house passed quickly. Sophie slept most of the way, but about 10 minutes before reaching the house, she decided she needed to eat.

"Her lungs are healthy, that's for sure," Tony joked.

The house was set nearly a mile off the road at the end of a tree lined drive. It was a cottage, really, but elegant. Tony, who had taken over the task of driving about two hours into the drive, pulled a garage door remote and house keys from his jacket pocket. He opened the garage door and pulled the car in. With the ignition off, he immediately and closed the garage door. Both Tony and Michelle had kept a sharp eye out for any sign of a tail. From his years at CTU, Tony knew that trailing Michelle at this point would be considered low yield and consequently, probably not worth the effort, but he still felt uneasy.

Michelle took a screaming Sophie from the car.

"Go ahead inside and feed her," Tony said, handing her the house keys. "I'll start unloading."

Michelle stepped into the house. It was beautiful. She walked through the kitchen to a sunken sunroom decorated in a nautical theme. She sat down and began to unbutton her blouse. Sophie was rooting frantically, looking for food, her face red from screaming. Her cries stopped abruptly as Michelle offered her a breast.

Tony carried all of the bags in from the car. He walked in the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. "What do you want for dinner?" he asked. He began to list choices: "Swordfish steaks, fillet mignon, chicken, salmon, pork tenderloin. Your choice."

"Those are all of my favorites," Michelle exclaimed.

"I know," Tony said. "I gave them a grocery list. How about the swordfish?"

"That would be perfect. Sweetheart, you are amazing," she marveled. "This must have cost a fortune."

"And worth every penny of it," he responded. "That reminds me, I set up an off shore bank account for you and Sophie in the Cayman Islands. I'm making a lot of money and, frankly, it doesn't cost me much to live. I want to make sure you two are taken care of."

"Tony, that's dangerous. If I start spending money that wasn't reported to the IRS as income, I'm going to be audited. They'll know where the money is coming from."

"Michelle, it's untraceable. They can assume the money is coming from me, but it's a numbered account so they can't trace it to me. They may put some pressure on you, threaten you, but they don't have a leg to stand on. It won't hold up in court and they know it." He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips and touched Sophie's face. He loved watching Michelle nurse Sophie. "Let's not worry about it now. I will give you all of the access codes later."

Tony grilled the swordfish steaks and some vegetables and finished the meal with grilled fruit kabobs. Michelle really did miss his cooking. She hadn't eaten this well in a long time. After dinner, they decided to walk on the beach as the sun set. They walked slowly, hand in hand. Tony carried Sophie in a pouch where she could rest her head on his chest and sleep. They barely spoke; they just reveled in the joy they felt at being reunited at last.

It was nearly 11pm when they walked back into the house. Michelle nursed Sophie and got her ready for bed. She didn't understand at the time, but for the first time in her life, Sophie was kissed goodnight by both of her parents.

The time at the beach was magical. The days were generally too warm and sunny to have Sophie outside much, so they spent the days inside. But as the temperature cooled and the sun was lower in the sky, they spent their late afternoons and evenings on the beach taking walks or just sitting watching the waves. The nights were spent sharing their love. They made love passionately as if to make up for the months they had missed and still store some up for the time ahead that they would be apart.

Saturday evening they sat in beach chairs at the water's edge, the waves lapping at their bare feet. Tony was holding Sophie and watching her eyes grow heavier and heavier.

"You're going to spoil her to death, Tony," Michelle said. "Then you're going to leave and she's going to think I should hold her all the time." She sounded angrier than she really intended. She stood up and took Sophie from him and held her close to her face. "When do you have to leave us?" she asked as she turned her back and walked a few steps away.

He looked down at the foam from a wave curling around his feet. "Tuesday morning around 2am."

"So, we drive back to LA on Monday evening?" Michelle asked.

"No," he answered. "I'll be picked up here. There will be a yacht anchored about 100 yards out. There's an inflatable boat in the garage. I take it out to the yacht and we sail off." His voice was expressionless.

"How long will it take you to get home?" her voice cracked.

Tony stood and walked up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and Sophie. "Sweetheart, I'm home now. Where I'm going is not home." They stood like that for a long time just watching the ocean through eyes blurred with tears.

The love they made that night was slow and quiet and particularly tender. Neither spoke or cried out, it was as if they expressed their sadness through soft kisses and gentle touch. They fell off to sleep curled one behind the other, Tony's arm around Michelle, their fingers intertwined.

Tony woke later to find Michelle was not in bed. He walked over to Sophie's room expecting to find her there, but Sophie was sleeping peacefully. He grabbed a bathrobe and walked toward the kitchen. The door to the patio was open and he could see Michelle sitting on the beach.

She was sitting near the water hugging her knees to her chest. Tony knelt in the sand beside her. "Baby, what are you doing out here?"

"I've made a decision," she said without looking at him, her voice was strong and clear.

"What's that?" he asked slipping his finger under her chin and raising her face up toward his.

"Sophie and I are coming with you."

"Michelle, you two can't make this trip."

She interrupted, "Not this time, Tony. Go back and get settled. Get a place for the three of us to live. Then send for Sophie and me."

Tony closed his eyes. "Michelle, I want us to be together more than anything in the world, but think about what you're giving up. Once you go, you can't come back. You become a fugitive just like me. And, Honey, I don't want to sound selfish, but if you leave, there is no one to fight for me. I lose all hope of having the charges dropped."

Michelle started to cry. "How long do you want me to continue this fight? Tony, I can't take this anymore. I'm tired. I've been all over the country, more than once fighting for you. Some days I made as many as 3 or 4 appearances. At the same time I was working and I was pregnant. I had Sophie without you. Do you know how scared I was? How much more do you expect me to do?"

"Oh, Baby, I'm so sorry," he said as he grasped her hands, pulled them to his lips and kissed them. "I know what you've done for me. God, I hate what you have gone through because of me and if you want to stop and come with me, then that's what I want, too. Michelle, you are incredible. You're my rock. I look at how strong you are and it gives me the courage to go on. The night Sophie was born, I was so depressed I was going to kill myself. The only thing that stopped me was you. After all you've done for me; I couldn't do that to you." He wrapped his arms around her. "It's your decision, Honey. If you want to come with me, I can have a place for us in a few weeks. Just say the word." He kissed her forehead and held her.

Tony and Michelle savored the remainder of their time together. As the sun began to set Monday evening, the family went out on the beach as had become their routine. They walked silently watching an amazing sunset.

Michelle spoke first, "Tony, I've thought it over and Sophie and I are going to stay here and keep fighting for you for a while."

"How long is 'a while'?" he asked.

"Until Sophie's 2nd birthday. Period. That's it. Once she turns two I think she needs to have you in her life. So if I can't make this happen by then, we're coming with you."

"Honey, I will live with whatever decision you make. It's okay with me." He kissed her. "If you ever need to get in touch with me, take out a personal ad in the LA Times Sunday classifieds that says 'always and forever'. I'll check them on line every week. If I see that ad, I'll have somebody get in touch with you. Okay?"

She nodded slightly, her eyes downcast. "Tony, is there any chance we can do this again? See each other, I mean."

"I don't know, Honey. This was dangerous and if it was just me taking the risk, I'd do it again in a minute but I can't put you at risk. There's too much at stake now. If you get caught harboring a fugitive, you go to jail. What happens to Sophie? I should have never asked you to take this risk in the first place."

She nodded, she knew he was right. They sat and watched the calm water. Tony brought the inflatable boat and his backpack out around 1:45am. Michelle tried hard not to cry. After all, this was really harder on Tony than it was on her. At least she got to see Sophie every day. Tony clutched the baby to his chest, telling her over and over, "Daddy loves you so much."

They watched as the yacht came into view. As planned, it anchored about 100 yards off shore at 2am. They said their final goodbyes and kissed. They could each taste the salt from the tears that spilled down their cheeks and mingled on their lips. Tony walked the boat out a few yards then climbed in and pushed off. He didn't turn back to look at her, it was too painful. He stared straight ahead and watched as the yacht loomed larger and larger in front of him.

Michelle stood on the beach until she could no longer see the yacht. Then she walked in the house, put Sophie in her crib and cried herself to sleep.

She awoke the next morning hardly feeling rested, but knowing she had to be alert for the long drive ahead of her. She packed the car and put Sophie in her car seat, then she drove away. She knew that shortly after she left a cleaning team would come in to the house to erase any evidence that Tony Almeida, fugitive from the U.S. government, had ever been there.


	9. Lonely Days

Chapter 10: Lonely Days

Michelle found the drive home difficult. She was tired and distracted and Sophie was very fussy.

"What's the matter, Sweet Pea?" she cooed over her shoulder. "Do you miss Daddy, too?"

She stopped once to feed her, but even that didn't seem to make her happy. She was about an hour outside of LA when her phone rang.

"Hello," Michelle said absently.

"Michelle, it's Jack. Are you on your way home?"

"Yeah, I'll be home in about an hour," she answered.

"Alone?" Jack queried.

"No, I'm with Sophie." She knew what he meant.

"Look, Hammond is looking all over for you. He sent men to the office twice. I guess they keep a general watch on you and when you were gone for a couple of days they got suspicious. I just wanted you to know."

"Thanks, Jack. I appreciate it. I'll see you in the office tomorrow."

Hammond was obviously watching her closer than either she or Tony had suspected. She thought about Tony and hoped he got safely back into hiding. She was sure Jack would have alerted his contacts so they knew to take extra precautions.

As Michelle neared her house, she wasn't particularly surprised to see a car parked two houses from hers. It was an unmarked government car; she knew that and waved at the driver as she passed just to let him know she was aware of his presence. She took Sophie into the house and quickly unpacked the bag of Tony's clothes. A suitcase of his clothes, although not evidence that he had been there, was, nonetheless, hard to explain. She put the clothes away and stowed the suitcase with their other luggage. She was grateful that Tony had taken the time last night to wipe the car clean of fingerprints. She made sure that she smudged plenty of her prints on the surfaces so it didn't look as though it had been deliberately wiped clean.

Michelle was only home about 30 minutes when the doorbell rang.

"Well, Brad," she said as she opened the door. "Is this a social call?"

Brad Hammond ignored the remark. "Can I come in?" he asked.

"Do you have a warrant?" she returned. "If not, then you can stand on the porch."

Hammond looked uncomfortable. "You disappeared for a few days."

"I didn't disappear. I was on vacation."

"Why didn't your partners know where you were?" he asked

"I don't have to tell Jack and Chase where I'm going, Brad. I'm a big girl now. I can go where I want."

"The funny thing is, Michelle, you didn't have reservations anywhere. No airlines, trains, ships, hotels, resorts. Nothing."

"I drove my own car and stayed with friends. Is that a crime?" Michelle answered.

"Not unless that 'friend' is your husband," Hammond fired back.

Michelle crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. She rolled her eyes. "You have no evidence that I was with Tony, Brad."

"And I bet you've got nothing to hide, either. Am I right?" he asked.

"That's right," She answered coolly.

"So you won't mind if I take a look around?"

"I'll ask again, do you have a search warrant?"

"No," he admitted.

"Then you can't look around. What do you think you're going to find, anyway? Latent prints, hairs. I'm a lousy housekeeper, Brad. There are probably prints and hairs from the people we bought the house from three years ago. That doesn't prove anything. This is bordering on harassment. Maybe I should call my lawyer. If you have evidence against me, charge me. If not, get off of my property."

Hammond glared at her, then turned and walked away.

The next few weeks found Michelle in a blissful fog. If her mind wasn't fully occupied it seemed to wander immediately to some special moment at the beach, a touch, a meal together, watching the sunset, Tony playing with Sophie. The next months passed quietly. Tony had been gone a year now. Holidays and birthdays and their third anniversary had all passed without any progress in getting the charges dropped. Michelle was no longer being called on to make personal appearances on news shows; interest in the story had dropped off dramatically. Michelle began to consider her options including the possibility of contacting Tony and going to be with him. The days they spent together had only made her realize how much she missed him and how hard it was to be apart. She watched Sophie grow and ached to know that Tony was missing all of the new things she was doing.

Michelle and Chase were sitting in Jack's office one day discussing client issues. Michelle's thoughts had begun to wander when the intercom on Jack's desk brought her back to reality.

"Michelle," Amy, their secretary said, "Bill Conner is here to see you. I gave him coffee and took him in the conference room. He doesn't have an appointment? Should I show him to your office?"

"Why is her here?" Michelle asked.

"He didn't say. All he would tell me was that he needed to see you as soon as possible."

"I'll go over to the conference room, Amy. Thanks." She heard Amy hang up. "I don't like this," Michelle said to Chase and Jack. "Bill never comes to see me. I always have to go to his office. Do you two mind coming with me?"

"Michelle, anything Bill has to say to you is between you two. We shouldn't be involved," Chase reminded her.

"After all you've done for Tony and me, anything Bill has to say is okay for you to hear. Besides I feel like I need some moral support."

Bill Conner was the defense attorney Michelle had hired when charges were first brought against Tony. Lawyers seemed to rule her life these days, she thought grimly: Marta for advice and public relations and Bill for Tony's defense.

Bill and Tony were old friends. They met years ago when Tony was getting his Masters degree at Stanford and at the same time, Bill was getting his law degree. Tony moved back to LA to work for CTU after graduation and when Bill moved there a year later to work in the Federal prosecutor's office, he and Tony shared a house. They lived together for a couple of years until Bill got married. They had remained friends and Tony was Godfather to Bill's oldest son.

While in the prosecutor's office, Bill was lead prosecutor for a case involving CTU employees who were skimming money. Jack had been the prosecution's star witness, so they were well acquainted with one another, as well. Bill eventually left the prosecutor's office and became a highly sought after defense attorney in Federal cases. Over the years, he had won a number of high profile cases both for and against the government.

Bill stood as Michelle walked into the conference room followed by Jack and Chase. They all shook hands and exchanged greetings.

"Bill, this is a surprise and I don't have a good feeling about it," Michelle said honestly.

"I wish I had good news, Michelle, but I don't think you're going to like what I have to say," Bill said averting his gaze. "Why don't you sit down."

Michelle eased herself into a chair, not sure she wanted to hear what was coming next.

"I got a call from Julia Morelli at the federal prosecutor's office today. Tony has been gone over a year and the only leads they have on him suggest he is in a country with no extradition treaty, but they aren't sure where. They feel they've waited long enough for the authorities to find him or for Tony to turn himself in so they have decided to go ahead with the trial without Tony being present."

"They are going to try him _in absentia_?" Jack asked.

"That's right," Bill answered. "I don't have to tell you Michelle that without Tony present, we have very little chance of getting an acquittal. I've been working on this case for a year now and I'll tell you, even with him here it would be an uphill battle. But at least if he was sitting in the court room, I might be able to get sympathy from the jury."

Michelle was staring at the floor, numb, barely able to breathe. She had been completely blindsided by this. It had never occurred to her that they would try Tony _in absentia_. How stupid of her never to think of this.

"Michelle, are you okay?" Jack's voice brought her back to the present.

"Yeah, yeah," she said looking up. "Did they set a date?"

"August 1, that gives us 6 weeks. The way I see this Michelle, Tony has a couple of choices. He can continue to do what he is doing, hiding out wherever he is. The trial will go on, he will likely be convicted, but as long as he stays in countries without extradition, he will be free. Or, he can come back and stand trial. I can't promise him anything if he does that. Or, the prosecutor's office offered him a plea bargain."

"A plea bargain," Michelle repeated.

"Yeah, if Tony will plead guilty to a lesser charge, he will get 15 years in a minimum security federal detention facility within 50 miles of LA."

"Fifteen years!" Michelle exclaimed. "Not a chance, Bill."

"Wait a minute, Michelle, this is not a bad deal. Fifteen years, he's still a young man when he gets out. The facility isn't bad; it's not a hotel, but not bad. It's close to LA; you can see him whenever you want, there are very few visiting restrictions. He can watch Sophie grow up and Sophie can know her father. Not to mention that you can still seek a Presidential pardon. You need to think this over, Michelle."

"No, I don't," Michelle scoffed. She stood and began to pace. "You want him to watch Sophie grow up from a prison cell. You want Sophie to know her father as a convicted traitor."

"Is it better that she has a father who she's never met who's a fugitive?" Bill shouted back. "Frankly, Michelle, this isn't even your decision. It's Tony's. You don't have to admit it, but I know you have a way to contact him." He looked at Jack. "I think you need to get in touch with him and let him make the decision."

"Maybe he's right, Michelle," Jack offered. "I can get the message to him."

"No," Michelle said angrily. She was finally beginning to break down. Her lower lip was quivering and her voice began to shake. "I won't let you do this. He will not plead guilty, not even to a lesser charge. It's wrong." She turned away to compose herself. As she turned back, she said, "Can you request a postponement, Bill?"

"I can request it; I won't guarantee we will get it. The truth is, Michelle, I'm not sure what good a postponement will do. I've had a year to prepare. Even if the judge grants another two months, I can't prepare any better. It's only going to prolong the agony." Bill looked at the floor and spoke softly. "Michelle, I don't lose very often. I don't like to lose but I have to be realistic. I don't think I have ever come up against odds this bad before. I wish I could change things, but I can't."

They decided to meet and finalize the strategy and witness list the next day. After Bill left, Jack, Chase and Michelle sat silently in the conference room. Jack spoke first, "Michelle, you need to contact Tony. I can get a message to him within 24 hours. This is his future; he has to be involved in the decision."

"We've already made a decision about our future, Jack and it doesn't involve any prison time. If I can't get Tony's name cleared by the time Sophie turns two, we're leaving the U.S. to be with him," Michelle announced. "Let the trial happen. Let those bastards convict an honorable man. I don't care. Sophie and I will leave and never come back." Michelle turned and walked resolutely from the room.


	10. The Trial

Chapter 11: The Trial

The next six weeks was a flurry of activity. Michelle met with Bill almost every other day for strategy sessions. He spent much of the time coaching her on her testimony. He thought he had a good chance at making her a sympathetic figure to the jury, but Bill warned her that the prosecutor would be hard on her. He would point out that she had disobeyed Tony's order to stay out of the hotel and by doing so, ultimately set herself up to be kidnapped by Saunders. He may also subpoena her personnel file and find that she and Tony had gone against direct orders from a superior and supported Jack, not to mention the fact that they drugged Ryan Chappelle (a man who ultimately gave his life for the good of the country) the day the nuke was detonated. It all showed a pattern of disrespect for authority. That may not play well to the jury, he told her.

At the same time, Marta was overwhelmed with requests for Michelle to appear on news shows. The public loved Michelle and Marta felt it was a good way to garner support for Tony. If Tony was convicted, she hoped support from the general public would convince President Palmer to pardon him. So, Michelle was once again on the talk show circuit.

By the end of the six weeks she was exhausted. She had not been eating or sleeping well and the strain showed on her face as she walked into court the first day flanked by Tony's parents and followed by his siblings and many friends. During the six weeks she had become amazingly upbeat. She was getting a lot of positive feedback from her news and talk show appearances and began to think that an acquittal was really possible. She refused to entertain the possibility of a conviction and chastised anyone who thought otherwise. Her overall state of mind had become a concern to those closest to her.

Tony sat in the tech room in his office in Argentina. The room reminded him of a small scale version of one of CTU's tech rooms with only a slightly lower level of technology, but more than adequate for their needs. He leaned back in the chair with his feet on the desk in front of him, knees bent. Some papers from his current project were propped against his thighs. He glanced at them occasionally, but his attention was actually focused on a monitor in the corner of the room.

It was tuned to Court TV which was broadcasting his trial. He looked up to watch Michelle and his parents walk into the Federal Courthouse. He was struck by Michelle's appearance. She looked thinner, older, her face drawn and tired. _My God_, he thought, _what have I done to her?_ Her expression was stoic; she looked straight ahead and ignored the reporters who hounded her as she stepped through the courthouse door.

By the end of the first day of the proceedings the two sides appeared to be even. Opening statements had definitely gone in the defense's favor. The prosecutor gave a long, loud diatribe where he equated Tony's alleged crimes to those of some of the most notorious traitors in U.S. history, men who had done untold damage to U.S. security. Bill portrayed Tony as a loving husband and loyal federal agent who simply could not stand by and watch as his wife was tortured and, possibly, murdered. It seemed that everyone in the courtroom could feel the jury soften toward Tony.

Next the prosecution began to build the government's case against Tony. It was hard to argue the facts of what Tony had done and Bill was not able to keep the sympathy on his side for long as a parade of witnesses testified to Tony's actions.

Juan and Pedro spent the day wandering in and out of the tech room pretending to need to use a certain computer or some piece of equipment. Tony knew they were just trying to be there to support him. In only a year they had become two of the closest friends he had ever had.

"From what I've seen, it's going pretty well," Pedro commented.

Juan nodded in agreement.

"Don't let today fool you," Tony laughed dryly. "I gave them enough rope to hang me and that's what they're going to do. There isn't much my attorney can do about it."

"Tony," Juan started, "I know you want to go back to the U.S., but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if you had to stay here. Bring Michelle and Sophie to be with you. You'd be a family again. Pedro and I have talked, you can buy a third of the business from us so you can be a full partner."

"Guys, that's a generous offer," he paused. "I suspect that I'm going to take you up on it at some point. Thanks for being here." Tony was genuinely touched.

The prosecution wrapped up its case late on the second day. Now it was the defense's turn. As Bill predicted, Michelle's testimony had been effective until the prosecutor got his turn to cross examine her. He brought up the events surrounding the nuclear bomb detonation and her disobeying Tony's order at the hotel. He dramatically stated, "Mr. & Mrs. Almeida seem to have a wanton disrespect for authority! The two of them are nothing but a couple of cowboys who make up the rules as they go along depending on their mood. They make a good couple, don't they?"

Bill jumped to his feet and shouted his objection. The judge sustained and told the court reporter to strike the last statement from the record. But the prosecutor had made his point and the jury would have difficulty disregarding words they had already heard, regardless of whether they were part of the official record or not.

Bill brought several expert witnesses to the stand to testify to Tony's fitness for command on the day in question. A doctor testified that anesthetics he received during surgery and blood loss and trauma from the bullet wound could have affected his thinking. Next a psychologist testified that the emotional trauma of being shot, nearly losing his wife to the virus and then having her kidnapped, as well as sleep deprivation could all have clouded his judgment. In both cases the prosecutor countered with numerous examples of good judgment and sound thinking that Tony exhibited throughout the day. By the time the defense rested, all of Tony's supporters, with the exception of Michelle, felt defeated.

Closing arguments were presented by both sides and the jury left to deliberate Tony's fate. The day ended with no verdict from the jury. The judge instructed the jury to return the next morning at 9:00. Everyone else could stay home; the prosecutor and the defense attorney would be notified when the jury reached a verdict. Michelle left the courthouse buoyant. She had convinced herself that the longer the jury deliberated, the more likely that they acquit Tony. Bill cautioned her against getting her hopes up. They ended up having a heated argument in the parking garage. Michelle drove home seething. _How could Bill say those things to her?_ she thought. _Where did his loyalties lie?_ she wondered. She was so angry she could barely concentrate to drive home.

The next day passed without a call from the judge, as did the one after that. Finally, after three days of waiting, the phone rang. The verdict was in and would be read at 2:00pm. It was already 11:30, so Michelle called Tony's parents and rushed to get ready. Jack called to say that he and Kate would be happy to drive her to the court house and that Kim would watch Sophie for her. Michelle was ready when they got there, dressed in a navy skirt and white tailored blouse, her hair pulled severely away from her face.

Forty-five minutes later she was again walking through the court house door. Although she still looked tired, she carried herself with a look of confidence. They took their seats not knowing that at the same moment Tony, Juan and Pedro were watching them in Argentina, watching as everyone stood for the judge's entrance, watching as the jury entered the jury box and handed the verdict to the judge.

The judge asked the jury foreman to rise and read the verdict. The foreman stood, looking nervous.

"We find the defendant, Antonio Almeida, guilty of treason against the United States of America." He closed his eyes for a second then sat down.

In the gallery, Tony's parents held each other and cried quietly, both of his sisters sobbed softly, his brothers bowed their heads. Michelle sat motionless, staring blankly as if not comprehending. Her breathing became shallow and rapid. Jack, who was sitting behind her, could see her entire body stiffen. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder as Kate, who was sitting next to her, squeezed her hand.

Tony, Juan and Pedro watched as the verdict was read. "I'm sorry, Buddy," Juan said almost imperceptibly.

"No," Tony shook his head as he looked at the floor. "We knew that was going to be the verdict. I'm not surprised."

The jury members were thanked for their service and dismissed. Everyone was asked to rise as the judge left. Michelle, still staring as if in a trance, stood slowly with help from Kate. As she stood, she felt the room begin to spin, she squeezed he eyes closed to make it stop. The next second, she collapsed in a heap on the court room floor, striking her head sharply on the railing that separated the gallery from the front of the court room. Kate dropped to her knees to help her.

"Michelle! Michelle!" she cried.

Jack pulled chairs out of the way so he could get to her.

"Back up, please," he shouted. "Back up, she needs to get some air."

A large cut had opened up about an inch and a half above her left ear and was bleeding profusely.

"Michelle!" Jack called in an attempt to rouse her. "She's not responding. We need a medic here. Call 911."

Chase reached for his phone and made the call. Jack pulled out a clean handkerchief to put pressure on the cut.

Tony watched the scene with horror. He jumped to his feet and shouted at the TV monitor.

"My God, Michelle! Somebody help her. Oh my God, Sweetheart." He saw Chase and some other friends shoo the camera men away which left Tony with no idea of what was happening.

The camera was now focused on a blond reporter who stood in front of the court room doors describing how the events had unfolded. Tony paced helplessly not knowing what to do next.

"Where are the paramedics? Can't they respond any faster?" He was frantic. Juan and Pedro tried in vain to calm him.

Inside the court room, Michelle was beginning to regain consciousness. Her head ached and she started to raise her hand to it. Kate took her hand gently.

"You're okay, Honey," she said softly. "You hit your head. Just lie still."

She opened her eyes slowly trying to make them focus. "Wha…," she tried to ask what happened.

"Shhh, it's okay, Michelle. Just lie still. Help is on the way," Jack comforted her.

By the time the paramedics arrived, Michelle was fully conscious but Jack insisted that she not move from the floor. The bleeding from the cut had begun to slow, but was still oozing and her hair and the left side of her face were bloody. The paramedics took over.

Tony watched the monitor impatiently as the paramedics arrived and disappeared into the court room.

"Finally," he whispered, the relief audible in his voice.

It was 20 minutes later before they emerged with Michelle on a gurney. There were too many people around her for him to see her well, but he could see the blood on her face and white blouse. She had an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth and a bag of intravenous fluid was being held above her. He thought her eyes were open, but he really couldn't tell. The blond reporter babbled to fill the dead air but really had no additional information.

Tony grabbed the nearest phone. "I need to call her," he said in a panicked voice.

Juan took the phone from his hand. "Tony, she's on her way to the hospital. Do you really think she is going to answer?"

"Then I'll call Jack. He'll know what's going on," he said as he took the phone back from Juan.

"Tony, we can put a secure call through to Jack, but it'll take us some time. You don't know how closely the authorities are watching Jack. This is just like when your daughter was born. They are going to expect you to try and contact Michelle. I'll call Joe and we'll work out a method of contacting Jack that can't be traced."

Tony put down the handset and hung his head. He knew that was the right thing to do, but sometimes his emotions just got the better of him. And where Michelle and Sophie were concerned, that was always the case.

Michelle lay on the gurney in the emergency room. The young surgical resident was suturing the large cut on her scalp. He had a bright light pulled low near her face so he could see, but the light was making her headache worse.

"Almost done," he said as he saw her wince. "I'm sorry if that hurt. I thought I put enough anesthetic in the area."

"It's not that," she said. "I have a terrible headache."

"I bet you do." He smiled at her. "As soon as I'm finished I'll give you something for that." He paused, "I've seen you on television. I was a little surprised when they wheeled you in here. Do you remember what happened?"

"Not exactly. I just remember standing up and feeling like the room was spinning. The next thing I knew I was on the floor with everyone standing over me and I had the worst headache I've ever had."

"You're very dehydrated and your blood sugar is low. When did you last eat or drink?"

She smiled a dry smile. "What day is it? I've been too upset to eat. It's been at least 24 hours, probably more."

"I'll tell you what. I want to make sure we get some fluid and some food in you. I'm going to keep you over night. That way we can keep an eye on you. You can go home tomorrow."

"No, no," Michelle protested. "I have a baby at home to take care of. I can't stay here."

"Your family said you would say that. They said to tell you that the baby is taken care of. Besides, you are in no shape to take care of a baby."

"I guess I might as well stop arguing then," Michelle said, resigning herself to the fact that she wasn't going to win this time.

"It'll take us an hour or so to get you upstairs and in a room," the doctor said as he was writing in her chart. "In the mean time, I'll see if we can get you some food. If that IV isn't bothering you too much, I would like to leave it in overnight. Oh, by the way, the media is begging for some news on you. Can I make a brief statement that you are fine, just suffering from exhaustion and a minor head injury?"

Michelle agreed to that and the doctor left the room.

Tony watched as the young doctor made a statement to the press. He closed his eyes and put his head back, relieved that Michelle would be fine. Once they knew she was okay, Juan tried to talk Tony out of calling her. Tony would not hear of it. So, Juan proceeded to contact Joe Sanchez through the usual channels. He placed a phone call in which he and Joe made a few minutes of small talk. That was a signal to Joe to go to a secure website where they could chat. Pedro was on the website explaining that Tony wanted to talk to Michelle on a secure line and asking Joe to arrange it. Joe told them he would get back to them in a couple of hours.

Joe picked up his phone and dialed a contact of his that was on a secure line. The phone rang twice before the voice at the other end answered.

"CTU, O'Brian."

Jack had put Joe in contact with Chloe and she had proven to be valuable when they were moving Tony to South America and again when he reentered the U.S. to see Sophie. Chloe had easily developed a cover by making sure that everyone knew she was still angry at Tony for locking her in the tech room and thwarting their efforts to find Saunders. Yes, she admitted, she had talked to Hammond about letting Tony go, but that was only as a favor to Jack who was her superior at the time. Everyone knew Chloe could hold a grudge like few others, so the thought that she had helped Tony escape never crossed anyone's mind.

"It's Joe. Is this line ok?"

"Yeah, it's fine. What's up?" Chloe answered, surprised to hear Joe's voice.

"Our boy wants to talk to his girl. We need a secure line. Can you arrange it?"

"It'll take me a few hours, but it can be done. I'll put the phone number on your website tonight. Tell him to call her at 9:00 Pacific time tonight. That should give me enough time to work out the details."

Chloe took a couple of seconds to work out a plan, and then picked up the phone. She dialed Warner Enterprises. "Kate Warner, please," she requested.

"Just a moment, I'll transfer you to her office."

"Ms. Warner's office," Kate's secretary answered.

"Hi," Chloe said. "I'm trying to get in touch with Kate Warner."

"I'm sorry; she's out of the office right now. Would you like to leave a message?"

"This is kind of urgent. This is Jack's sister-in-law, Carol," Chloe lied. She had altered the caller ID so it looked as if the call was coming from Carol. "I'm really trying to get through to Jack, but he isn't answering his cell. I was hoping Kate could put me in touch with him."

"I can try to contact Ms. Warner and have her call you back."

"No, that won't work. I'm going to be in a meeting for a while and she won't be able to reach me. I really need to get through to her now. Could you transfer me to her cell? I didn't know the number or I would have called it myself." Chloe tried to sound more and more anxious.

"Hold, please, I'll try to contact her."

Kate was standing outside of the emergency room waiting for a chance to see Michelle when her phone rang.

"Ms. Warner," her secretary said. "I have Mr. Bauer's sister-in-law, Carol on the phone for him. She said it is urgent. Can you take this call?"

"Sure, thanks, Molly," Kate said. She waited a second for the transfer to be made. "Hi Carol, what's going on."

The voice on the phone did not belong to Carol. "Kate, don't say my name out loud. It's Chloe. I need to talk to Jack. Is he there?"

"Ah, sure, but what's going on?" Kate asked confused.

"I can't say right now Kate. I really need to talk to Jack."

"Hang on, he's right here." Kate handed the phone to Jack. "It's for you."

"This is Jack."

"Jack, it's Chloe. I called you through Kate's line so it wouldn't be traced. I'm not sure how safe your phone is right now. Anyway, Tony's a basket case and he wants to talk to Michelle. I'm going to be leaving soon. I can get a scramble phone out of here. If you can meet me in front of the movie theater that is about 3 blocks south of the hospital in 45 minutes, I can give it to you. Tony will call at exactly 9:00 Pacific time."

"Forty-five minutes. I can do that," Jack answered succinctly.

"Ok, I'll see you there." Chloe hung up. Jack handed the phone back to Kate.

"What was that about?" Kate asked.

"She has some information for me. Nothing important. Are you getting hungry? I can go pick up some food. Michelle likes Chinese. I'm sure she would prefer that to hospital food."

"That sounds great, Jack. Thanks. For a tough guy, you're pretty sweet." Kate smiled and kissed him gently.

When Jack got back about an hour later, Michelle had been transferred from the emergency room to a private room upstairs. She and Kate were watching the news. The foreman of the jury that convicted Tony was being interviewed.

"This guy better not try to get famous over this," Jack said angrily. "Or he'll have me to deal with."

"No, Jack," Kate shook her hand and signaled for him to be quiet. "Listen to what he has to say."

The foreman told the interviewer that based on the way the case was presented, the jury members all felt there was no way to acquit Tony. What he had done was wrong, they could not consider him "not guilty," however none of them blamed him for his actions. None of the jury members wanted him to go to jail. They were all writing letters to the judge to ask for a suspended sentence. If that didn't work, they were going to write a letter to President Palmer asking him to pardon Tony.

"You're right. I'm impressed," Jack said with a smile on his face. "I hope it works."

All three of them were hungry and the room grew silent while they devoured the food.

"This beats hospital food. Thanks, Jack," Michelle said.

As they finished eating, Kim came in carrying Sophie who was being very fussy. "I've got someone here who wants to eat. I got her to eat some baby food, Michelle, but she just wouldn't take a bottle. I think she is used to you."

Sophie cheered up as soon as she saw Michelle. It made Michelle smile to see her beautiful daughter. Soon the baby was nursing happily.

Jack, Kate and Kim left the room so the two of them could be alone. They sat in the waiting room talking about nothing in particular. Kate noticed that Jack seemed distracted and kept checking his watch. _It's almost 9:00_, she thought, _Jack likes to go to bed early, but not this early._ The phone in Jack's pocket rang. He stood up and walked away from Kate and Kim before he answered it. The two women exchanged glances. They knew him better than anyone in the world. In fact, Kim marveled that although Kate had only known Jack about four years, in many ways she understood him far better than Teri ever had. They both knew that he was hiding something from them.

"Yeah," Jack said quietly.

"Jack?"

"Yeah, how are you?" Jack asked. "Look, I'm sorry about today. I wish it could have turned out differently."

"Don't be sorry. I'm disappointed, but it turned out like I expected. I saw the jury foreman on the news, though. That was interesting. It sort of makes me feel vindicated."

"Hang on, I'll give the phone to Michelle. Take care of yourself. I really hope to see you again."

"Yeah, I hope so, too," Tony said "Take care."

Jack rapped lightly on Michelle's door and cracked it open at the same time. "Michelle, I have a phone call for you," he said through the partially open door.

"You can come in, Jack. We're finished." Michelle sat up in bed playing with Sophie.

Jack handed her the phone. "I'll be outside."

"Hello," Michelle said.

"Hi, Sweetheart. How are you feeling?" Tony said, his voice cracking.

"Oh, Tony. Oh God, Tony. It's so good to hear your voice. I needed to hear your voice so much. I love you so much." She was speaking rapidly, barely stopping to take a breath.

"I love you, too, Baby. You scared me half to death today. I was watching on TV when you collapsed. Are you feeling better?"

"I still have a headache and stitches in my head, but overall, I hurt my pride a lot more than I hurt anything else. I'm sorry I scared you. The whole thing is so embarrassing."

"Don't be embarrassed, Honey. You've been under an incredible amount of pressure. I'm so sorry I've put you through all of this."

Michelle began to cry. "Oh, Tony, I have completely failed you. We should have worked harder on your defense. Maybe Bill was the wrong lawyer. I wish I could do it all over, I would do it differently and …"

Tony interrupted. "No, Michelle. There was nothing you or Bill could have done differently. None of this is your fault, Honey. I did what I did and I'm guilty, but I will never be sorry. You and Sophie are alive and it was worth it. Do I hear Sophie?"

"Kim brought her over so that I could feed her. She'll take a bottle during the day, but when she's sleepy, she still prefers to nurse. I guess she was giving Kim a fit," Michelle explained composing herself.

"Put the phone up to her ear. I want to tell her how much I love her," Tony said softly.

Michelle and Tony talked for about a half hour about Sophie and their families and their friends. It was wonderful just to make small talk, just to share the unimportant moments of their day. These were the things they both missed the most, just spending time together.

Michelle thanked him for the gifts he had been sending Sophie. Every few weeks a package would arrive for her. The return address was always from the store where it had been shipped. The card inside was always the same "Always and Forever". He had sent her books, and a gold bracelet, a doll, just little things to remind her that he hadn't forgotten her.

"Michelle," Tony said his tone suddenly very serious. "Now that we have a guilty verdict, why don't we just give up the fight? I've got my eye on a beautiful little ranch here. You can have a couple of horses. I know how much you like to ride. You can teach Sophie to ride when she gets older. We can be together, Michelle. We can add to our family. I can't live without you any longer, Baby."

"Oh, Tony, that's what I want, too, but not yet. Public opinion is on your side, Honey. You heard the jury foreman. The jury is going to petition the judge to give you a suspended sentence. And if that doesn't work, they're going to the President for a pardon. Give me some time, Tony. We can make this work. This is a matter of principle; your name should be cleared. You're not a traitor."

"Michelle, listen to yourself. You're driving yourself crazy. Let it go, Honey. It's over."

"I won't give up hope, Tony, not yet, maybe in a few months, but not yet. We said we would give it until Sophie turned two. I don't know that I want to wait that long, but let's at least give it another six or eight months."

Tony sighed. "Okay, but if at any moment you change your mind, you know how to contact me."

They said tearful goodbyes as Sophie fell asleep in Michelle's arms. Jack must have been close to the door. He stepped back in a few minutes after the conversation ended, giving Michelle enough time to wipe the tears from her eyes. He took the phone from her.

"You okay?"

Michelle smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Jack. I don't know how you made that happen, but I know you went out on a limb for us. I'll never be able to thank you enough."

Jack took Sophie from her arms. "Kate and I will take her home and stay with her tonight. You get some rest. We'll see you in the morning."

Michelle kissed Sophie and thanked Jack. She watched him leave and then laid back against the pillow. Her conversation with Tony whirled through her brain. She didn't know where he was, but she had always suspected South America. _That might be home some day,_ she told herself. _Some day, but not yet._ She would rest for a few days and then resume the fight. It was worth it. Every bit of energy expended was worth it. She was committed to it, but knew in her heart that the battle most recently lost was a big one. She would push onward for now and know that regardless of the outcome, she and Tony would be together again, whether in the US or elsewhere, to happily live out their lives together.


	11. President Palmer

_Author's note: The final fate of Lynne Kresge, Special Aid to President Palmer in Season 2, has always been a mystery to me. Some sources say that she died, but that was never stated or even implied in the series. I have chosen to keep her alive for the purposes of this story. _

Chapter 12: President Palmer

Michelle sipped her coffee and read the newspaper while Snickers brushed back and forth against her leg. She loved Saturday mornings. She got up early and crept downstairs for a few minutes of quiet before Sophie woke up. Then the rest of the day belonged to the two of them. It promised to be a beautiful day and a trip to the park seemed a good way to enjoy such a lovely day.

Michelle sighed. She knew this was the calm before the storm. She and Sophie, along with Tony's parents and her lawyer, Marta, were leaving the next day for two weeks in Washington DC. They had scheduled visits with dozens of congressmen, senators and other influential people in the Palmer administration in a last ditch attempt to get support for a Presidential pardon for Tony. She hoped that these meetings, in addition to appearances on all of the national news and talk shows would result in a public outcry that President Palmer could not ignore.

The trial had ended almost three months ago. The jury, true to their word, had petitioned the judge to give Tony a suspended sentence, however he ignored the request. He had made his lack of sympathy for Tony well known at the trial, so the sentence, 20 years without the possibility of parole, was not a surprise. Bill had filed an appeal on the grounds that the judge's obvious contempt for Tony had prejudiced the jury, but the case would probably not be heard for another year.

President Palmer, who, despite lingering questions regarding his ex-wife's murder had been narrowly reelected a few months after the bioterrorist attack, had been asked in several press conferences if he would consider a pardon for Tony. Although he had never said "yes," he had left the option open. Jack had asked him directly for a pardon for Tony, but the President had turned him down. The President gently reminded Jack that he had broken more than one law the day of the virus attack and President Palmer personally made sure that he was not charged for any of it. He had also ensured that there was no real investigation into Nina Myers' death. Jack, President Palmer stated clearly, was in no position to ask for a favor.

Michelle finished her coffee and walked upstairs to get dressed. She could hear Sophie playing in her crib and slipped silently into the room. Sophie didn't see her at first. Michelle stood still and watched her beautiful daughter. Sophie was almost nine months old and one of the prettiest babies anyone had ever seen. Her skin was a little lighter than Tony's. She had thick, curly black hair and Tony's deep, chocolate brown eyes. She sat playing with a colorful, stuffed caterpillar that was the most recent gift from her father.

Sophie loved the toy from the moment Michelle took it out of the box earlier in the week. It went with her everywhere except the bathtub and even then it had to be on the floor next to the tub so she could retrieve it as soon as Michelle took her out of the water. She was absolutely terrorizing Snickers with the squeaky toy that was concealed in one of the caterpillar's ten legs. Snickers was to the point where she just ran if she saw Sophie and "Legs", as he had been named, coming toward her.

"Hey Sweetie," Michelle said.

Sophie turned and smiled brightly. She reached for the crib rail to pull herself up. Michelle scooped her out of the crib. Sophie leaned over and snatched Legs before being hauled over the side of the crib. Michelle put her on the floor for a quick diaper change, then carried her to the master bedroom.

"You play here while Mommy gets dressed." She set Sophie on the floor in front of the closet while she picked out a pair of crop pants and a casual blouse to wear to the park. Sophie made a game of crawling in and out of the closet and playing with Michelle's shoes.

As she straightened up her bedroom, Michelle picked up the remote control and turned on the television. There usually wasn't much on Saturday mornings for grown ups, maybe she could find some news. As the TV came on, she was surprised to see a reporter standing in front of Walter Reed Hospital near Washington DC with "breaking news".

The President, he announced, had collapsed during a briefing at Camp David. He was flown to Walter Reed where he was listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit. He further reported that presidential powers had been transferred to Vice President James Prescott.

"Oh, no Sophie," Michelle said as she lifted the baby off the floor and snuggled her closely in her arms. Legs had been left behind and Sophie squealed and squirmed trying to get her new, favorite toy. Michelle didn't seem to notice. "Baby, if something happens to President Palmer, we'll never get a pardon for Daddy," she said as if Sophie could understand.

Michelle was well aware that Vice President Prescott vehemently opposed giving Tony a pardon. He had said so on numerous occasions. Tony, Jack and Michelle had made Prescott look bad four years ago when they established that the Cyprus audio was a forgery. Prescott was an ambitious man who did not think the job of vice president worthy of him. He was lying in wait to become president. He thought he would have to wait eight years, assuming the very popular President Palmer would be reelected to a second term. But his chance came much earlier when the nuke was detonated and President Palmer became wishy-washy about a military response all because of a single CTU agent, Jack Bauer. Additionally, Prescott had always been hawkish where the Middle East was concerned and would have loved to have an excuse to start a war there. Whether the audio was authentic or not was unimportant to him.

Jack Bauer could have never proven the audio a fake without the help of Michelle and Tony who both risked their fast-track careers to help him. When word spread after the bioterrorist attack of Tony's actions to save his wife, Prescott personally called Brad Hammond to see that Tony was slapped with every charge they could possibly make stick. Even Hammond was concerned that they had gone too far, but Prescott insisted and threatened to lobby for funding cuts that would directly hurt Hammond's department if he didn't acquiesce.

A ringing phone broke shrilly into Michelle's thoughts. She set Sophie back on the floor and watched her crawl over to play with Legs. "Hello," she said into the phone.

"Michelle, it's Marta. Are you watching the news?"

"Yeah, I haven't gotten a lot of details. Is Palmer going to be alright?"

"They aren't saying right now. We're going to have to hold tight. This is bad timing. We can't go to Washington tomorrow and start lobbying senators and congressmen while the President may be dying. Michelle, we have to cancel."

Michelle agreed and told Marta she would talk to Tony's parents. They agreed that if the

President's condition improved, the trip would be rescheduled.

As she ended the conversation Marta said, "Michelle, this is bad news. If Prescott becomes President…"

"I know," Michelle cut her off. "I know. I'll talk to you later."

She hung up; her head was spinning. Yet another avenue blocked. She had worked so hard. Why was this happening? It was as if the planets were aligned against them; as if some force of nature wanted to keep her and Tony apart. She began screaming at the air, asking for answers. What did God want of her? What was she supposed to do next? What had she done to deserve this? What had Sophie done to have to grow up without her father? Why was God punishing this innocent child? Michelle looked down at the floor at Sophie who was frightened by the outburst. She held her toy close to her face, rubbing the tag between her thumb and forefinger. She slipped her other thumb into her mouth and sucked on it, something she rarely did, as she sat silently against the closet door. Michelle dropped to the floor sobbing and pulled the baby to her. She apologized over and over for frightening her and swore she would never do it again.

Michelle watched every newscast she could find over the next few weeks. Initially, the President's condition was not only critical, but unstable. The doctors that spoke at the press conferences several times a day made it clear that he could die at any time. He was breathing only with the help of a ventilator and had not regained consciousness since he was brought to the hospital. They could not explain what had happened to him, but thought that it was related to the assassination attempt of several years earlier when a toxin, that had never been identified, was slipped to him through a handshake.

As the days passed, Palmer's condition slowly stabilized. After nearly two weeks in intensive care, he had improved to the point that he could be moved to a regular room. Eventually, presidential powers were transferred back to David Palmer. Michelle began to breathe a little easier. She allowed herself to start hoping again. She and Marta began talking about possible dates to reschedule their Washington trip.

The President finally left the hospital after lengthy rehabilitation and returned to the White House. He was clearly weaker than he had been and, although his staff worked very hard to quell them, rumors of a resignation started to surface. Michelle and Marta decided to put together a Washington trip as soon as possible. They had to make sure they secured a pardon before Palmer could resign and Prescott could become President. They worked on the plans making dozens of phone calls every day. People who were happy to meet with them before the President's illness were now somewhat reluctant. Everyone knew that Prescott was against a pardon for Tony Almeida. If Prescott was soon to become President, no one wanted to be on the record as supporting something Prescott was well known to be against. That wasn't going to score any points with a new president. It could result in desired legislation or a certain senator's or congressman's pet project being brought down to defeat or vetoed.

Michelle and Marta were having a strategy session when the phone rang. It was Jack.

"Are you watching the news?" he asked.

Michelle indicated that they were not.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Michelle. President Palmer just announced his resignation. It's effective two weeks from today."

Michelle felt utterly defeated. _All the work,_ she thought, _all the time they had put in_. It was over. There was no one to help her, no one to champion her cause. She would contact Tony; she and Sophie would go with him. That was her only choice. She couldn't live without him any longer.

She drove home in silence. No longer concerned or upset by the constant LA traffic. All she wanted was to be with Tony. She picked up Sophie and drove to her in-laws' house. She wanted to let them know her plans. She told them that she was able to contact Tony and that she hated to take Sophie away from them, but the child deserved to grow up with a father. They were sad, but understood her position and agreed that it was the best thing for both Michelle and Sophie, as well as, Tony.

She slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning allowing herself to wonder what life would be like in another country. She assumed that he was somewhere in South America. Fortunately she was able to speak Spanish and hoped that she would adjust to life easily. Any life with Tony was better than this empty existence without him. At 4am, Michelle gave up trying to sleep. She sat up and turned on the TV. As she was channel surfing, one particular ad caught her eye. It was a promo for one of the local afternoon talk shows. Their scheduled guest this afternoon was Lynne Kresge.

Kresge was currently the President's companion. She had been Special Aid to the President early in his first term, but had been seriously injured in a fall a couple of hours after the nuclear explosion almost 4 ½ years ago. The details of the accident were sketchy but she sustained a serious neck injury that left her partially paralyzed below the waist. With much rehabilitation, she was able to walk with assistance, but was often seen in a wheel chair. She and the President remained friends and began seeing each other after his long standing relationship with his physician, Anne Packard, ended. Since that time, Kresge and the President had been inseparable. She had been with his children at his bedside throughout his own long hospitalization.

Despite the accident, which Michelle considered unfortunate, she had few good things to say about Lynne Kresge. The day of the nuclear attack, Jack had notified Kresge that CTU was about to be bombed and asked her to warn them in time to evacuate. In a political dispute with NSA director, Eric Rayburn, Kresge failed to warn CTU. Thirty of Michelle and Tony's coworkers died that day and many more were injured. Michelle always felt that Kresge could have, should have done more to warn CTU.

Michelle shuddered involuntarily when she thought of that day. She remembered the explosion and being thrown to the ground, she remembered the noise and the screams and the building shaking. She remembered the dead and dying all around her. She remembered calling Tony's name, hoping, praying he was not hurt. She had not admitted her feelings to him yet, but she knew how she felt from the day she started at CTU, from the moment George Mason introduced them and she looked into his eyes. They were warm and kind, she knew instantly that she wanted to know this man better.

Michelle forced herself not to think about that day. She had other things to concentrate on. Lynne Kresge was in LA and Michelle decided that she had to talk to her, had to convince her that the President should pardon Tony.

She waited anxiously until morning then called the producer of the show on which Kresge would be appearing. Michelle had been on so many talk shows that she had become acquainted with many of the hosts and producers. She told the producer that she would like a chance to talk to Kresge after the show was taped that morning, but she did not want Kresge to be warned ahead of time. Michelle didn't want Lynne to have time to formulate a response. She needed the element of surprise on her side. The producer liked Michelle and agreed to arrange the meeting.

Michelle got to the studio in plenty of time and waited in the producer's office. As the show finished taping, Kresge was assisted off the stage and the producer approached her with Michelle standing at his side.

"Ms. Kresge, I'd like to introduce you to Michelle Almeida." They shook hands; Kresge indicated she had seen Michelle on television. "Michelle was hoping she could have a few minutes with you. You can use my office."

Kresge agreed, if somewhat reluctantly and the two of them went in the office. They sat in armchairs facing each other. The silence was awkward.

"Ms. Kresge," Michelle began. "There's no point in my beating around the bush. I'm sure you have a pretty good idea why I am here."

"Mrs. Almeida, in light of the fact that you seem to have one singular purpose in life, that is, securing a pardon for your husband, I suppose that you are here to try and convince me to talk the President into such a pardon."

Michelle nodded. "Of course," was all she had time to say when Kresge began speaking again.

"Mrs. Almeida, surely you must understand that although the President can grant pardons at will, no president has ever granted a pardon to someone convicted of treason."

"Perhaps no one convicted of treason has ever had so many extenuating circumstances mitigating that conviction, Ms. Kresge."

"And to what 'extenuating circumstances' are you referring?"

"My husband is not a traitor, Ms. Kresge and you know it. He's a hero. Look at his record. Despite the fact that he was shot just hours earlier, he performed brilliantly the day of the bioterrorist attack. He is among the agents credited with the capture of Stephen Saunders and the safe disposition of all of the virus. But, you know, there have been other days, too. I remember 4 ½ years ago when CTU was bombed. With only minutes notice, Tony made every effort to evacuate the building without any regard to his own safety. He could have been killed that day, but he got up and brushed himself off. He helped the dying and the injured and then he went back to work and spent almost the next 24 hours stopping a nuclear detonation in LA and preventing an unnecessary war in the Middle East. It's too bad he didn't have more warning that CTU was going to be bombed. Maybe he could have evacuated sooner and saved some lives."

Lynne averted his eyes. "What are you insinuating, Mrs. Almeida?" Her tone had cooled.

"Don't play games with me, Ms. Kresge. I'm not in the mood. You know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm well aware that Jack Bauer notified you at least a half hour before the bomb went off and you made no attempt to warn us. I went to 30 separate funerals in the two weeks following that day: my friends, my coworkers. They left behind spouses and children and parents. That didn't have to happen. Not notifying us was an act every bit as treasonous as any my husband committed."

"You may not want to admit it, but your husband put millions of innocent Americans at risk, Mrs. Almeida."

"That's true, Ms. Kresge. What my husband did was wrong. But wherever he is, when he lays his head on his pillow tonight, he can sleep knowing that no innocent people died because of his actions." Michelle paused, "I hope you sleep well tonight, Ms. Kresge."

The room was so quiet Michelle could hear her own heart beat. She stood up. "I've taken enough of your time. Thank you." She extended her hand but Lynne ignored it. She did not look up as Michelle left the room. Michelle had obviously hit a nerve.

Michelle stopped at Marta's office on the way home. She wanted to tell Marta about her meeting with Lynne Kresge. She had to admit it had probably been a stupid thing to do, but she felt better having done it. She thanked Marta for all of her help over the last 18 months and asked her to submit her final bill. Marta stepped around her desk and put her hand on Michelle's arm.

"This sounds like goodbye. You're going to go and be with him, aren't you?"

Michelle nodded knowing that if she tried to talk she would cry. Marta wished her happiness and promised that she would not reveal Michelle's plans to anyone.

Michelle spent the rest of the two weeks hoping against hope that the President would come through with a pardon. At the same time, she was beginning to plan her move. She would place the personal ad "always and forever" in the LA times the Sunday after Prescott was sworn in as President. She started to think about what possessions she would take with her and what she would leave behind. She would enlist Jack and Kate's help in distributing items quietly to family and friends after she left. She would never see any of these people again. It was all very sad, but at the other end of this sad road stood the only person who could bring her real happiness and she knew it. She started to find herself smiling at inappropriate times as thoughts of seeing Tony and being a family again crept into her mind. She thought of eating meals with him and taking long walks together with Sophie in the stroller. She thought of quiet mornings sharing a cup of coffee. She thought of waking up next to him every morning and going to bed with him every night.

Michelle wondered where this trip would take her, how she would get there. She couldn't exactly show up at the airport with scads of luggage and a one-way ticket to South America, she thought dryly. Although the authorities could not stop her from leaving, they could give her a very hard time. She suspected that she would be given very little notice of the move, so she would need to be ready to go at any time. She also knew that she would have to travel light. She suspected that the plans would include her driving to Mexico under the cover of darkness and meeting a contact there who would arrange the rest of the trip. She knew Tony would make sure it was a comfortable trip with as few stops on land as possible. As soon as the authorities realized that she was gone, they would alert authorities throughout Mexico and Central and South America. Again, they had nothing on her, but could probably get local authorities to arrest her on trumped up charges and make her life miserable for a while and possibly even get her to name the contacts who were helping her.

Michelle went to bed that Sunday night knowing that the sun would dawn tomorrow on President Palmer's last full day in office. A sense of calm had come over her. She would be with Tony soon. She would be happy again.

Michelle was startled out of a restful sleep by the ringing of the phone. It was still dark. She looked at the clock: 5:30am. Her anxiety grew as she grabbed for the phone. Phones ringing at this hour usually didn't have good news on the other end.

"Hello," she said.

"Mrs. Almeida?"

"Yes, who's calling please?"

"Please hold for the President of the United States." There was a brief pause.

"Mrs. Almeida, I'm sorry to call so early. I hope it didn't frighten you," said the deep, familiar voice on the other end of the line.

"No, Sir, not at all," she lied.

"Good. I'll be making a statement to the press at 9 o'clock eastern time – about a half hour from now. I wanted you to hear what I am planning to say from me and not on the news." He paused. Michelle remained silent. "I understand you met with Lynne Kresge a few days ago."

"Yes, Sir, that's correct," was all Michelle could manage to utter.

"I don't know what you said to her, she won't tell me. But you obviously made an impression on her. She asked me to take a look at Mr. Almeida's case and consider a pardon. I was skeptical, Mrs. Almeida. I couldn't imagine why or how I could pardon someone convicted of treason. It's never been done before, but in deference to Lynne, I agreed to look at the case but I didn't promise her anything. I got your husband's military and CTU records and I probably don't have to tell you how impressive they are. He was decorated for meritorious service in Somalia and his CTU record is replete with commendations. His actions the day of the bioterrist attack were exemplary, Mrs. Almeida, even after he was arrested. To believe that after all he had been through that day, that he should simply stand by while Saunders murdered you is inconceivable. I've also talked to my staff. Do you know that we have received well over 100,000 letters and over a million emails asking for me to pardon your husband?"

Michelle was sitting up in bed now. She was literally shaking and tears were streaming silently down her face.

"Mrs. Almeida, in a few minutes I'm going to tell the American people exactly what I told you. I'm also going to tell them that I am granting Tony Almeida a full and unconditional pardon."

Michelle could hold back no longer. She began to cry and to thank the President effusively.

"Mr. President," she said having composed herself. "Tony and I will never be able to adequately thank you for this."

"The only thanks I need is for the two of you to join Lynne and me for dinner as soon as Mr. Almeida is back in the country."

"We would be honored, Sir."

"Mrs. Almeida, I have to go. The press conference is starting in a few minutes. You'll be contacted by the Attorney General's office later this morning with all of the details."

She thanked him again and hung up the phone. She couldn't stop smiling. Tony was coming home! The nightmare was finally over.


	12. Going Home

Chapter 13: Going Home

Tony opened the door and walked into the office from a meeting with an important client. The meeting had not gone as well as he had hoped. As he replayed the conversations in his head, he was so distracted that he didn't notice the receptionist wasn't at her desk. Neither were the secretaries. He leaned into Juan's office to brief him, but found it empty. He looked across the hall at Pedro's office to see that it, too, was empty. It was then that he heard everyone in the tech room.

"Geez, are you guys hiding from me or something?" he asked as he turned the corner and moved toward the tech room. The television in the corner was broadcasting an American newscast.

Pilar, who had spent the last 18 months unsuccessfully trying to garner his attention, gave him a dazzling smile. "Welcome to your going away party, Mr. Almeida. You were a great boss, I'm going to miss you." She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek.

Tony looked confused. He was surprised to hear someone use the name Almeida.

"What's going on?" he asked as Pedro popped the cork on a bottle of champagne, poured a glass to overflowing and thrust the dripping flute into Tony's hand.

"Congratulations! President Palmer granted you a full pardon, my friend," Juan said as he slapped Tony on the back. "You're going home to Michelle and Sophie."

Tony was stunned. "Don't do this to me guys. This isn't funny."

Pedro shook his head. "This is for real, Buddy. _You_ are going home."

"For real?" Tony repeated.

They were all nodding. He began to smile, then laugh as the reality hit him. He lifted the champagne flute to his lips and emptied it in one quick swallow.

Ella, one of the secretaries, had slipped out of the room as Tony walked in. She came back in, speaking fluent but heavily accented English into a phone.

"Mrs. Almeida, hold on, I have your husband right here." She handed him the phone. "We thought you might like to talk to your wife."

"Sweetheart," he said into the phone. He could hear her laughing and crying at the same time. "Oh, God, Baby! I don't know how you did it. But it doesn't matter, all that matters is that I am coming home to you."

She tried to answer him, but there was so much noise in the background he could hardly hear her.

"Honey, what is going on?"

"We're having a party!" she said as she stepped outside onto the patio to get away from the din. "When people heard the news, they just started dropping in. Almost everyone you know is here: your entire family, my brother and his kids, Jack, Kate, Bill and Patty Conner and their kids, Chase, Kim, Chloe and Adam and a huge group from CTU. Everyone is just so happy, Tony. We can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to get home to you, baby," he said in a serious voice.

She explained that he had to go to the American embassy in Argentina, (Jack had finally confirmed that Tony was in Argentina.) and they would make all of the arrangements for him to come home. He should be back in the U.S. by the end of the week. After they exchanged "I love you's", Michelle asked if Tony would like to talk to his parents. From there the phone was passed to almost everyone at the party, including Sophie who listened intently to the voice on the other end. After nearly an hour Tony finally hung up. His coworkers were now well on their way to finishing a fourth bottle of champagne and were planning a real going away celebration.

Tony went to the American embassy which was only about an hour from the office. They verified his identity through fingerprint records and he filled out what seemed like a million forms. It didn't matter, he thought, he would jump through a ring of fire if it meant he could go home to Michelle. He finally got back to his apartment that evening after making a stop at a toy store to find a present for Sophie and a jewelry store to find a present for Michelle. He wanted just the right gifts and finally settled on a soft, white teddy bear for Sophie and a diamond heart-shaped necklace for Michelle.

The first thing he did when he got back to his apartment was shave off his beard. He stroked his smooth cheeks. Michelle had indicated that she liked the beard when they were together after Sophie's birth, but he preferred to be clean shaven and was sure Michelle wouldn't object. The Ambassador told him they would probably be able to make arrangements for his return to the U.S. on Thursday, but he would let Tony know for sure tomorrow. At any rate, he would he home for Sophie's first birthday which was only two weeks away. An event he had always assumed that he would miss, he would now share with his wife and daughter. He called Michelle again just to hear her voice and to let her know what to expect. Just to be able to call her at will was wonderful. Tony decided to pack early just to be sure he was ready. He had so much restless energy that he didn't know what to do with it all. He finally got in bed and tried to sleep. It was useless. All he could think about was sleeping next to Michelle, how good it would feel to hold her again.

His mind began to wander back to the first time he held Michelle in his arms. Over the last 18 months, Tony has blocked out this memory every time it threatened to creep into his thoughts. The few times he had allowed himself the luxury of remembering, he did so with a full bottle of wine to numb the pain. Now there was no longer a need to numb the pain, he closed his eyes and savored the memory.

He remembered the bombed out condition of CTU. He remembered how hard they had all been working and Michelle was working harder than most. The events of the day had become too much for her. He found her hiding in a quiet hallway, frightened and vulnerable. This woman who was always so confident and strong, who he had been in love with since the moment George Mason introduced them. She had beautiful, soulful eyes that seemed to look deep into him. He wanted to tell her how he felt, ask her out, but he couldn't. He was still smarting from his humiliating relationship with Nina. He had fallen for Nina badly, like a teenager and everyone knew it. What had he been thinking? Even before he knew she was a double agent, he knew in his heart that the relationship was going nowhere. She was using him to get back at Jack, he thought at the time. But she was so alluring and so sexy, he was sure if he tried hard enough that he could make her love him.

But now he was standing next to Michelle who had admitted her feelings for him earlier in the day. Knowing it was completely inappropriate, he decided to hug her, try to calm her down. A quick hug, he thought, it was harmless. He put his arms around her. Her body felt so warm. He felt himself tighten his grip, draw her in closer. As the hug ended he found himself looking into her eyes, their faces just inches apart. He pushed a stray tendril of hair behind her ear and touched her face to wipe away a tear. She tilted her head almost imperceptibly as if she was waiting for a kiss. His mind was racing; he wanted to kiss her but not here, not now. Before he could make a decision she opened her lips slightly and pressed them to his. He felt his own mouth open and his tongue slip gently into her mouth. She started to pull away and whispered that she was sorry, but he wanted more. He pulled her face back to his and kissed her deeply. For those few seconds, they were the only two people in the world. The chaos and fear and grief of the day were gone. It was just the two of them. The kiss ended abruptly when they were discovered by Carrie of all people, but Tony could not erase the memory.

When the day finally ended, everyone was given 48 hours off. Tony and Michelle said goodbye. He thanked her for her exceptional service that day. She'd really made a difference, he said. He wanted to hold her again but decided against it. They each went home exhausted to empty apartments. Tony slept eight solid hours before waking at almost 5pm. He lay in bed for a while but found all he could think about was the horror of the day just past. He got up and took a shower hoping it would clear his mind but it didn't help. His brain kept replaying the day. Unable to stand it any longer he picked up the phone and dialed Michelle's number. He asked if she had slept well and tried to make small talk. He finally admitted that thoughts of the previous day were driving him crazy and he didn't want to be alone. She agreed that she also wanted someone to talk to. He invited her to his apartment for dinner at 7 o'clock.

Tony spent the next hour getting ready and deciding how the evening should go. When he met her at the door, should he kiss her? Maybe a light kiss on the cheek, he thought. He wanted to take this relationship slowly. He didn't want to muddy the waters with sex. He again remembered his relationship with Nina that was based solely on sex. Not that he complained at the time; she was exceptional in bed.

Michelle knocked on his door at 7:00 sharp. She brought two bottles of wine, a white and a red, not knowing what he was serving for dinner. She was so thoughtful. He leaned forward and brushed her cheek with his lips, as planned. They had a wonderful dinner. They ate steaks and drank wine and held hands across the table and most of all discussed their painful experiences of yesterday. It felt so good to talk it out.

It was almost 10:00 when Michelle offered to clean up the kitchen. Tony protested but she insisted, so they moved into the small kitchen to clean up. Michelle washed while Tony dried, their bodies close in the warm confines of the kitchen. They seemed to keep bumping into one another and the sexual tension grew. As Michelle slipped behind him to put something away, Tony could feel the soft pressure of her breasts against his back. He closed his eyes relishing the feeling.

The kitchen was clean and everything was put away and they began the awkward process of saying good night. Tony fully intended to give her a simple good night kiss and hug. As he wrapped his arms around her, he could again feel the warmth of her body, smell her sweet fragrance. He couldn't stop himself, he lifted her face to his and began to kiss her, softly at first and then more deeply. He was running his hands up and down her back and he could feel her hands on his neck and the back of his head pulling him closer and closer. She moaned softly which made him crazy. He pulled away from her and stepped back. He started pacing, his left hand rubbing his forehead. He told her that he wanted to take it slowly, wanted to make sure the relationship worked. She agreed that had been her intention as well, she never slept with a man on a first date, but now… The tension was greater than she could have possibly imagined. They began kissing again, this time urgently, as if they feared some imaginary force might tear them apart.

"Oh God, Tony," she whispered between kisses. "Make love to me, please. I want you to make love to me. I want to make love to you."

He was dizzy with excitement. Had he heard her correctly? Was she sure that was what she wanted? She looked into his eyes and nodded lightly. He reached behind her head and released the clip that was holding her hair up and fanned it over her shoulders. The next thing he knew, he was carrying her to his bedroom kissing her the entire way.

He laid her gently on the bed again asking if she was sure. Without saying a word, she began to unbutton her shirt. He took her hands in his and kissed them. He took over unbuttoning her shirt, although his hands were shaking, and he proceeded to undress her. She was beautiful. Her skin was creamy white and smooth. Her muscles firm and her breasts perfect soft handfuls. He stroked her body noting several dark bruises from the bombing yesterday. He kissed each bruise tenderly. She seemed tense at first, but relaxed as he stroked and kissed her. She reached out and helped him undress and he slipped into bed beside her.

He kissed her lips and told her to stop him if she didn't want to go any further or if he did something she didn't like. Then he pinned her gently on her back and started exploring every inch of her body. He couldn't ever remember making love so intensely before. They collapsed in an exhausted heap in each others arms.

At this point he was smiling and thoroughly aroused. It was one of his favorite memories. He had memorized every minute and could relive it in vivid detail. There was more to the memory, but he usually managed to avoid the rest. It wasn't a happy memory and most times he chose to suppress it. Tonight, as he thought about Michelle and their relationship, the memory came crashing through and he couldn't prevent it.

He remembered that Michelle fell asleep quickly in the warmth of his arms. He lay awake, watching her sleep, noticing the contrast between the porcelain color of her skin and the olive tone of his. He was too full of emotion to sleep. The sad and painful emotions of yesterday had suddenly been replaced with a whole new set of emotions. He was filled with an incredible peace that he finally had been able to admit to Michelle how he felt. He was thrilled and grateful that she felt the same way. He was overjoyed that, although it had happened much sooner than he had planned, their first intimate experience had been so tender and satisfying for both of them. He had to admit, though, that the whole thing scared him. Had they moved too fast? Would Michelle wake up regretting her decision? He started to get angry with himself. It was all his fault. He should have had more self control. He knew they should not end up in bed together tonight, and yet, here he was, with her beautiful body in his arms, drinking in her scent, feeling her soft skin. He kissed the top of her head. Please don't regret this, he thought as he finally allowed himself to sleep.

He awoke some time later in the dark room knowing instinctively that Michelle was in bed with him, but unable to feel her in his arms. He opened his eyes and at the same time caught the soft, rhythmic sound of sobbing coming from the edge of the bed. He closed his eyes not sure what to do next. Had he hurt her physically? Was this all just too much for her emotionally? She was lying on her side with her back to him. He reached out to her, touched her bare shoulder and whispered, "Babe, what's wrong?" He moved closer until their bodies touched. "Oh, Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you? Baby, I never meant to hurt you. I didn't mean to force you into something you didn't want to do."

"Oh, Tony," she whispered back. She turned over and put her arms around him. "You didn't hurt me. You were incredible."

He wiped tears from her face.

"I don't know why I'm crying. I guess I just never realized that a man could be so good to me, could make me feel like I do right now. I never imagined that I could be so in love and have that love returned."

She looked away. The pained expression on her face told him that she had been hurt in the past. She looked as if she wanted to say more. He said nothing and waited to see if she would go on.

Michelle turned over so she again had her back to him. She was about to bare her soul and she couldn't look at him.

"I never dated much in high school. Guys never seem interested in the smart girls. There were a couple of guys in college, but you know how college is, it was mostly about the sex for them. I went along with it; it seemed like that was what was expected. They seemed to enjoy it, but I never did. I always just felt vulnerable and used." She paused to gather her thoughts.

Tony held her and stayed silent; he stroked her hair and curled a thick stand of it around his finger.

"After college, I got a job in a man's world. Most of the men ignored me and that didn't really bother me. I had my girlfriends, but they all seemed wrapped up in finding a man. When I started working at Division, I met someone who seemed to care about me. We started going out. I thought I loved him. It was good at first, he was nice to me. Over time the relationship started to change. He started to get rough with me, in bed. When I would try to talk to him about it, he turned it around and made it my fault. He said if I were more responsive, more loving, he would be more excited. But since I wasn't doing the things he liked, the only way for him to get really excited was to get rough. Tony, the pathetic thing is that I had so little self esteem that I let him continue to do it." Tears traced paths down her cheeks as she relived the painful memory. "One day after work, we went out for drinks and then back to his place." She was crying hard now and making no attempt to control it.

Tony closed his eyes and held her close. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more. "Honey, you don't have to do this," he whispered.

But she continued, haltingly, speaking between sobs. "We both had a little too much to drink. He started undressing me in the entrance hall. I thought it was funny at first; but then he pushed me down on the floor. He held me down, he was so strong. I tried to fight but I'd been drinking. There was no point, so I stopped fighting, but that seemed to make matters worse. I just begged him to stop. By the time he was finished, I had bruises on both arms from him holding them down, my shoulder blades and tailbone were bruised and my back was raw from the rough tile on the floor. The one shoulder blade was bleeding." She reached back and touched the spot. "There's still a scar."

Tony kissed the spot tenderly.

"He stood up and started walking away and he said that if I told anyone he would deny it; he'd say that I liked rough sex, and he had a longer and more distinguished career than I did. Who were they going to believe? Then he went upstairs and took a shower. I could hear him singing in the shower. Then he went to bed. I laid on the floor crying for hours. I finally got dressed and went home. The next day I put in for the transfer to CTU. I never told anyone. After I started at CTU, he called me and said he was sorry and asked me to go out with him again. I almost said 'yes'. Do you know what stopped me?"

"No, sweetheart, what?" he asked feeling angry and devastated that she had been forced to live through this.

She turned over and looked in his eyes. "You did. When George introduced us, your eyes were so warm and your smile was so genuinely kind, that I realized that there really were good, gentle men in the world. And even if there wasn't one for me, I didn't have to stay with a man that hurt me."

A horrible image of a man, someone he probably knew, brutalizing Michelle assaulted his mind. How anyone could ever hurt her was beyond his comprehension. He knew she would never tell him who did it because if he knew, he would probably kill the bastard. He pulled her closer so her face was pressed against his neck. "Baby, I had no idea. I'm so sorry. I promise you I will never hurt you. I will never make you do anything you don't want to do. I love you so much."

Tony remembered how they lay awake for a long time just holding each other. They both had demons in their past, haunting them, making them fear love. But that night as they held each other tenderly the demons were vanquished; sent far away where they couldn't hurt either of them any more.

The thought that his wife had been raped and what it had done to her emotionally still made him angry. They had only talked about it one other time and it was clear to him that she still blamed herself for the incident. Allowing himself to think about it had exhausted him. He fell asleep sad from the memory, but satisfied that he and Michelle would be together very soon.

Tony awoke the next morning with the same nervous energy he had the night before. He decided to go to the office, clean out his desk and turn his files over to Juan and Pedro. They were going to need another partner; they had far too much work for the two of them. Tony smiled wondering where they were going to find another government agent who had worn out his welcome in his own country.

When he got to the office he found that Juan and Pedro had a better idea. They asked Tony to open a branch office in LA. They could use an office on the west coast of North America. They had numerous contracts with shipping lines in Washington and Oregon as well as Vancouver. Tony would also be able to handle the Asian contracts. Tony jumped at the chance. The business was lucrative and he liked the work. Things were beginning to fall into place.

The ambassador's secretary called Tony around noon. Plans were in place for Tony to return to the U.S. on Friday. He had hoped for Thursday, but Friday would have to do. He would arrive in Washington DC at Reagan National Airport around 1pm. He would be escorted to the Attorney General's office where he would have about an hour worth of paperwork. At that point he would be a free man.

Tony called Michelle. She had gotten off the phone only a few minutes earlier with the AG's office who had given her similar information. She told Tony that she and Sophie and his parents would meet him at the airport. She also told him that they had all been invited to President Palmer's home outside of Washington for dinner the day he came home. They continued to chat, neither one of them wanting to say goodbye.

The flight to Washington seemed to go on forever. It didn't help that Tony was nursing a mild hangover from the going away party the night before. It was a great party and for once the goodbyes weren't really sad. He would probably see Juan and Pedro at least a couple of times a year and would talk to them regularly. They would both be in LA next month to help him set up their branch office. Tony looked at his watch; they would be landing in 2 hours. He reclined his seat slightly and allowed himself to think of Michelle meeting him at the airport and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The plane landed in Washington just a few minutes late. Normally, security regulations allowed only ticketed passengers at the gates but the AG had arranged special security clearance for the Almeida party. Michelle and Sophie, along with Tony's parents walked toward the gate with three escorts from the AG's office. A crowd of reporters followed them as far as the security checkpoint calling question after question at them. Michelle good naturedly answered some of the questions as she walked along. She waved at the cameramen and reporters as she cleared security as if to say she couldn't answer any more questions.

Prior to the plane landing, Michelle had been told that Tony would have to wait on board while everyone else deplaned. Once the plane was empty, representatives of the AG would then board to again verify his identity. Once verified he would be able to leave the plane and meet his family at the gate.

The 747 was nearly filled to capacity and it seemed that the line of exiting passengers would never end. Sophie was tired of being held and squirmed to get down. Michelle eventually relented and moved to a deserted corner of the gate and set Sophie on the floor with her caterpillar. Michelle knelt beside her trying to play normally while her stomach was tied in knots. She tried to make casual conversation with Tony's parents who sat in chairs nearly, but it was impossible. They were all too excited.

The plane was finally empty and James Hendricks and Rachel Brown, two of the representatives from the AG's office that escorted Michelle, boarded the plane. The official that stayed behind, Justin Quinn, told Michelle it would take 15-20 minutes to verify Tony's identity. She thanked him and looked at her watch. Sophie was pulling herself up on the furniture and taking careful steps with her mother's help. Michelle walked her to a full length panel window so she could look out. Sophie looked at the big silver plane just outside the window.

"Daddy's on that plane, pumpkin," Michelle told her as she smoothed Sophie's black curls.

Sophie pressed her nose against the window far more interested in her own reflection.

At the same time, Tony was trying to be patient while he waited with Hendricks and Brown for final confirmation on his identity. They scanned his hand print and sent it electronically to the FBI. While he waited, he looked out of the plane's windows wishing he could see through the tinted windows at the gate. Try as he might, the tint on the windows and the glare of the bright afternoon sun prevented him from seeing through the window. Could Michelle be on the other side looking out?

Tony gathered his carry-on luggage so he would be ready to go as soon as they obtained the necessary confirmation. He decided to remove the white teddy bear from his bag and he tucked it in the crook of his arm. He didn't know if Sophie had developed "stranger anxiety" yet and he was hoping the bear would keep her from being afraid of him. Tony asked the one remaining flight attendant if the flowers he had ordered were at the gate. She confirmed that a dozen, long stemmed white roses and three red rubrum lilies and a dozen long stemmed yellow roses were waiting in the airline holding area just behind the gate. She would retrieve them as soon as she left the plane.

Michelle lost track of time while she and Sophie played by the window. She was startled when Mr. Quinn touched her shoulder gently.

"Mrs. Almeida, they're exiting the plane."

Michelle stood up quickly and smoothed her dress into place. She had agonized over what to wear and finally decided on a fitted, sleeveless floral print dress. It was very conservative but Michelle knew it accentuated her every curve. She tucked loose hairs behind her ears and then started to straighten out Sophie's sundress.

"Honey," her father-in-law said smiling. "You both look beautiful. Now go to him."


	13. The Reunion

Chapter 14: The Reunion

Michelle picked up Sophie and turned to walk toward the tunnel connecting the plane and the terminal. Her legs were shaking; she couldn't believe this was finally happening. She caught sight of Tony as he stepped from the tunnel. She drew in a quick breath and could feel her lower lip quivering. She wanted to break into a run but feared her legs wouldn't hold her.

Tony saw Michelle at just the same moment. Their eyes met and they both began to smile. He let go of the carry-on bags he had in each hand as he rushed forward to meet her. As they neared he gently offered the teddy bear to Sophie whose eyes lit up as she dropped her caterpillar to reach for the bear. Tony took his daughter in his arms and began to cry as he smothered her face with kisses.

"Oh, Sophie," he whispered. "My angel! You are so big, Honey and Daddy has missed all of it. Nothing will ever keep me away from you again."

He shifted Sophie's weight to his left arm and reached for Michelle with his right. Her hands were already resting on his waist. He cupped her chin in his hand and wiped tears off of her cheeks with his thumb.

"Hey Gorgeous," he teased her. "Do you hang around airports looking for lonely men often?"

She let out a soft laugh as he moved his hand to the small of her back, pulled her to him and began kissing her. At some point in the long slow kiss he realized that someone had taken Sophie from his left arm. That freed him to put both arms around Michelle and lift her feet of the ground as they kissed. Feeling the gentle lift, Michelle put her arms around his neck to pull herself up closer to him. She bent her knees up and crossed her feet at the ankles. Even the stoic officials from the AG's office had to smile as they watched the reunion.

Tony finally eased her to the ground and their lips separated. Their arms were still around each other and their foreheads and noses touched lightly.

"I love you so much," Tony whispered.

"I love you, too," Michelle responded looking deeply into his eyes. After another moment or so she smiled and said, "Hey, I think there might be some other people here who want to see you."

Tony looked up and loosened his grip on Michelle. He saw his mother who was waiting patiently. He reached out to her as Michelle took a step back. She took Sophie from Tony's father who gave mother and son a few seconds before stepping in closer and joining the hug. As the hug ended, the flight attendant came over carrying the bouquets of flowers. Tony took them from her and presented the yellow roses to his mother. Then he turned to Michelle and as he handed her the white roses and lilies he said softly, "Always and forever, sweetheart."

She took the roses and tilted her head back to give him a soft kiss. "Always and forever," she agreed.

The newly reunited family beamed as they walked along the concourse toward the airport exit. Tony carried Sophie in one arm and held Michelle's hand with the other. He was keeping them as close as possible; he wasn't going to lose them again. As they reached the main concourse they were met by a throng of reports.

"Mr. Almeida, Mr. Almeida," they called.

Tony smiled and tried to keep walking despite the microphones that were right in front of his face.

"Mr. Almeida, how does it feel to be home? Mrs. Almeida, how does it feel to have your husband back?"

Michelle smiled at the camera and joked, "You guys have talked to me for the last 20 months. Aren't you sick of hearing from me by now? Let him do the talking for a change."

Tony finally stopped walking and addressed the reporters. "There aren't enough words in the language to describe how I feel right now," he said with a smile. He looked at Michelle and then at Sophie who was playing with the ears on her new teddy bear. "Just holding my daughter…," he started, but the sentence trailed off as his voice cracked with emotion. He paused and blinked back tears. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" He let go of Michelle's hand and reached up to tuck some of Sophie's unruly curls behind her ears. She immediately pushed them back out and everyone laughed. He put his arm around Michelle's waist and pulled her close to his side. "And seeing my wife again…," he shook his head as if it was all a dream. "By the way, she's beautiful, too." Michelle reddened with the compliment.

"Mr. Almeida, some people are calling your actions during the bioterrorist attack heroic. Are you a hero?"

"No," Tony shook his head. "Listen, I did my job, nothing more. You want to know who the hero in the family is?" He looked at Michelle. "Michelle's the hero. She has been such a source of strength and inspiration for me these last 20 months. My life was easy. She's the one who had the tough job. She never stopped fighting for me. While she was fighting for me, she became a single mother. I don't know that I would have had the strength to do everything that she did. She's my hero and I will never forget it. Thank you, Sweetheart," he added these last three words softly as he looked into her eyes. Then he pressed a soft kiss into her hair

"While I'm busy thanking people, there are some others who have my deep gratitude. My parents and my brothers and sisters who also stood by me, but more importantly were there for Michelle and our daughter." He turned and looked at his parents. "Thank you both," he said softly. "I also want to thank all of the Americans who took the time to write and to email and to call the President on my behalf. Without your support I'm convinced that I wouldn't be standing here with my family. Finally, I want to thank former President David Palmer. His compassion and courage to do what was right is truly the only reason I am standing here with my family today. Hundreds of thousands of Americans supported me, but only President Palmer could sign the papers and make me a free man. I owe him my undying gratitude." Tony paused and looked at Sophie who was rubbing her big brown eyes and resting her head on Tony's shoulder. "I think somebody here needs a nap. So if you will excuse us, it's time for us to go be a family. Thank you, everyone." Tony stepped forward with the reporters still in tow, but they gave up after a few more steps when it was clear that neither Tony nor Michelle was going to say anything more.

As they approached the airport exit, Hendricks said, "Mr. Almeida, we would like to take you in this car," he indicated a dark sedan in front of Tony, "to the AG's office to sign all of the official paperwork. We will take your family and your luggage in the limo back to the hotel. We'll get you to the hotel as soon as the paperwork is complete."

"That's fine," Tony said as he began to hand a very sleepy Sophie to his father who was standing next to him.

"No, Tony," Michelle said shaking her head. She looked at Hendricks. "Mr. Hendricks, can I go with my husband?" She looked back at Tony "Your parents said they would take Sophie back to the hotel for her nap."

"Michelle, this is routine. You know that," Tony said gently.

"I… I know… I just… it's just that I don't want to be away from you right now." She knew she wasn't making a lot of sense. "You've been away so long…" Tony watched as her lower lip stared to quiver and she lowered her head.

He closed his eyes and took her in his arms, "Oh, Baby, what have I put you through? I am so sorry, Honey. You have to know that I will never leave you again. Not for anything, Michelle. I love you so much." He looked at Hendricks, "Can she go with me?"

Hendricks seemed to be a nice man. He had been particularly kind to Tony on the plane when the waiting seemed to be endless. He also had given the family all the time they wanted for their private reunion without ever making them feel rushed.

He smiled softly. "That should be fine. We'll make this as quick as possible."

Tony and Michelle kissed Sophie goodbye. Tony promised her he would be there when she woke up from her nap. Michelle smiled wondering who he was trying to reassure, Sophie or himself.

The trip to the AG's office was, as expected, routine. Michelle sat by while Tony filled out forms. Hendricks offered them both coffee which they gratefully accepted. As he brought in two mugs of coffee he mentioned that their presence was causing quite a stir in the office. Most people believed that Tony should have received a pardon, in fact, most believed that he never should have been charged in the first place. Hendricks' sources seemed to think that Prescott was behind the treason charges. Prescott had always been against giving Tony a pardon and made it clear to the media (for whom Tony had become a pet cause similar to saving the rainforests) that he objected strongly to David Palmer granting this pardon. He only regretted that there was nothing he could do about it.

"I think I would stay clear of Prescott if I were you," Hendricks advised them. "I don't know that there is anything he can do to hurt you, but he can make your lives miserable if he feels like it."

Tony and Michelle thanked him for the advice and assured him that they had no intention of crossing the new President. Hendricks said goodbye to them and left them with a staffer who would drive them to their hotel.

When they reached the hotel, they found Sophie still sleeping peacefully. Tony's parents had moved her crib into their suite so she could nap while they rested and got ready for dinner with former President Palmer.

Michelle told Tony she was going to start getting ready for dinner as well. Tony stayed in his parents' suite and pulled a chair up next to Sophie's crib and watched her sleep.

"Antonio," his mother said quietly so as not to disturb Sophie. "She's not going anywhere. If you want to go and get ready, I'll let you know when she wakes up."

"I told her I'd be here when she woke up and I will be. I want to make sure she understands that she can trust me."

"She'll learn. Give her time. She's just a baby, she'll adjust quickly. She can already tell you love her. Look how she came right to you at the airport." She put her hand on his arm, enjoying this time alone with her oldest child.

Tony wasn't listening. He was trying to take in everything about his beautiful daughter. "She's so pretty. Look how perfect she is. Her eyelashes are so long; look how they rest on her cheeks when her eyes are closed," Tony marveled. "I can't take my eyes off of her."

"You and Michelle certainly made a beautiful baby," his father said softly as he walked in the room. He put his arm around his wife and looked at Tony. "We owe you an apology, Antonio."

"An apology? For what?" Tony queried.

"For the way we treated Michelle, the way we treated both of you before all of this happened. I don't know why we couldn't see how much you loved her and what a wonderful woman she is. All we could see was that she wasn't who we imagined you marrying. I don't know why that mattered. We were so wrong."

"It's over," Tony said as he reached out to hug both of his parents. "Michelle told me that she never would have made it without you two. I'm just thankful that you were there for her. I can never thank you enough for that."

They enjoyed the private moment. Parents and son so long apart, the gap in time that was missing from all of their lives seemed to vanish, as if he had never been gone.

The limousine arrived at 5 o'clock to take them to David Palmer's suburban Maryland home. Despite the rush hour traffic in DC, the ride of a little over an hour was pleasant. Just being together was wonderful. Tony talked and played with Sophie who, although stuck in a car seat, enjoyed all of his attention. Michelle loved watching them interact. She reached up to her neck and played absently with the diamond necklace Tony put around her neck while she was dressing. He had come up playfully behind her and caressed her shoulders and kissed her neck. She closed her eyes enjoying the feeling. She didn't even realize he had put the necklace on until she opened her eyes and it sparkled in the mirror.

When they reached his home, the former President, never a pretentious man, answered the door himself. He shook hands with everyone and introductions were made. He insisted that everyone dispense with the formalities and call him "David". He looked well despite his recent illness. His face was not nearly as full as it had been and his hair seemed grayer than it was even a few months ago. Clearly the illness had had an effect on him but he was handling it well.

"Tony, we met the first time several years ago at CTU. Do you remember?"

"Of course, sir," Tony said. "You were running for your first term. You wanted to meet with Jack and Ryan Chappelle was trying to prevent it." Both men smiled and looked at the floor. "Ryan was a good man, just a little too rigid at times."

"Tony, I will always regret…"

"No, sir, let's not do this. You did what you had to do. Just like I did what I had to do. We can't go back now."

David escorted them into a handsome study. It was sunken two steps below the rest of the main floor and walked out onto a flagstone patio. The room was paneled in mahogany and the furnishings were large and dark. It was a stunning contrast to the bright sun coming in the French doors. David walked to a wet bar in the corner and started taking drink orders. Just about then Lynne Kresge could be heard making her way across the tile floor leading to the study. David moved over to the steps to help her down.

Palmer and Kresge had been married in a private ceremony in the Oval Office just hours before he left office. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court performed the civil ceremony before swearing in James Prescott as the new Commander in Chief. He introduced her to everyone. When he got to Michelle he said, "But I guess you two already know each other." They both quickly averted their gaze, neither able to make eye contact.

Dinner was lovely and after dessert the group retired to the patio to enjoy after dinner drinks and the cool evening temperatures. David carried a humidor from the study and offered Tony and his father fine cigars. The both accepted and the three stepped toward the edge of the patio to smoke them. Sophie was getting sleepy and just a little fussy, so Michelle took her inside to change her into pajamas and give her a bottle. She had stopped nursing about a month earlier and Michelle missed the closeness of those moments. She decided to sit inside in the quiet study and snuggle with Sophie as she gave her the bottle.

Seeing that Michelle was sitting in the study alone, Lynne excused herself from the patio and slowly moved through the French doors with the help of a walker. She sat down in an overstuffed chair not far from Michelle.

"I probably should have chosen a different chair," she said as if thinking out loud. "I can never get out of this one without help."

Michelle smiled, but could think of nothing appropriate to say. Again, the silence between them was awkward. Finally Michelle spoke. "Lynne, I'm sorry about what I said back in LA. I had no right to say those things…"

Lynne interrupted, "You shouldn't be sorry and you had every right, you had a duty as a friend to the people who died at CTU that day to say what you said to me. What took you so long?" She smiled and Michelle smiled back. Lynne continued, "You're right. I often don't sleep very well at night. I thought it over on the flight back to Washington and I knew you were right. I went straight to David and asked him to consider a pardon for Tony. I was planning to lobby pretty hard, but I didn't need to, he decided on his own."

"I will always be grateful to you, Lynne," Michelle said graciously.

"Don't be. It was you who ultimately won the pardon for your husband; your perseverance was the key. You should be proud of yourself."

Michelle was embarrassed and looked away focusing on Sophie whose eyes were just about closed.

The Almeidas said their goodbyes and thank yous and they returned to their hotel. As Michelle opened the door to the suite, Tony started to put the sleeping baby in her arms.

"Hold her while I move the crib back to our room."

His parents protested. "Let her sleep in our room tonight. You two need some time alone."

Tony hesitated at first but finally relented. It was his first night back and he wanted his daughter near by. Michelle went into their suite to get ready for bed while Tony tucked Sophie in the crib. He was again taken aback by her beauty. Her fingers and toes were so tiny and the way she puckered her lips and suckled even when there was nothing in her mouth was just adorable. He knelt next to the crib watching her and got lost in his own thoughts.

"Antonio," his father's voice brought him back to the present. "If I had a beautiful wife who I hadn't seen in almost two years waiting for me in the next room, I think I would go and join her."

Tony smiled and looked at the floor embarrassed by his father's comment. He hugged his father again and said good night.

As he walked into his own suite he could hear the bubbling of the Jacuzzi in the bathroom. He knocked lightly and peeked in. Michelle was sitting in almost neck deep, bubbling water with her head back and her eyes closed. Her hair was piled on top of her head to keep it dry and the diamond necklace sparkled at the base of her throat. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Would you like some company?" he asked.

"I'd love it," was all she had to say.

Tony reached behind the door to retrieve a thick, white terry bathrobe that was hanging on a hook. He walked into the bedroom to undress and found a bottle of champagne and two tall, thin crystal flutes on a tray. A card sitting next to them said "Welcome Home! Love, Jack and Kate".

Tony donned the robe and walked into the bathroom carrying the bottle and the glasses.

"Champagne?" he asked. Michelle smiled and nodded. He poured two glasses and handed one to her. They clinked the glasses together as Tony said quietly, "To us, to a long and happy life, always and forever."

Each took a deep drink from the glass and Tony refilled them. Neither of them spoke. Tony reached out and touched Michelle's face, caressing it with his fingers. As his fingers passed her lips she gently kissed each one and licked them seductively. She reached over and untied the belt on his robe. He took the hint. He stood and let the robe drop to the floor and stepped into the bubbling water. Michelle knelt to raise herself up a bit as Tony lowered himself into the water. They reached for each other, arms circling wet bodies and they kissed. They kissed slowly. Michelle could taste the sweet flavor of fine tobacco on Tony's lips. It mingled with the champagne and tasted so good. They moved in slow motion. This wasn't urgent like it had been the very first time or when Tony came home for that brief time after Sophie was born. They had all the time in the world; nothing would ever separate them again.

They spent a long time kissing and touching before they got out of the water and wrapped each other in huge terry towels. Tony carried Michelle to bed enjoying the feel of her damp skin against his. They made love until dawn, slowly, tenderly, moaning softly, wanting it never to end. They finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep with arms and legs tangled happily together for about an hour before the alarm clock signaled that it was time to get up.

They had a plane to catch at 10:45. They were finally going home: to family and friends, to a series of parties that had been hastily planned over the last few days, to a new job and a new life together

_3 months later_

The sun had barely risen when Michelle walked out of the bathroom. She stood in the doorway absently fingering her diamond necklace. She looked across the room at Tony who was asleep on his back, his bare chest rhythmically rising and falling. He is so handsome, she thought as she smiled.

Tony had been home for three months now and they had been deliriously happy. Juan and Pedro had come to LA to help Tony open their first branch office and the business was doing well. They celebrated Sophie's first birthday together at the beach house up the coast where almost a year prior they had hidden in fear of Tony being caught. This trip was so much happier as they knew that at the end of the week they would all go home together. (Last year's week at the beach house remained their secret. They took seriously the warning by James Hendricks about not crossing President Prescott. Even though Tony had received a pardon, they feared that if Prescott ever got evidence that Tony had been in the country with Michelle's knowledge that he would find a way to press charges against her for aiding and abetting a wanted criminal.)

Michelle walked back to bed and slipped in beside Tony. She began placing soft kisses on his face. "Hey, Sweetie, time to wake up."

"Honey," he said barely opening his eyes "the sun isn't even up yet, what are you doing?"

"I'm waking you up; we have a busy day, Tony. It's your dad's birthday, remember. The party is here and you're cooking."

"Is it too late to have it catered?" he asked only half joking.

"Tony!" Michelle laughed. "This isn't working. Let me try something else." She climbed on top of him and kissed his lips.

"That might wake me up," he agreed. "It might even make me want to 'cook'!" he joked, his eyes still not fully open. He slipped his hands under the tight, rib-knit tank top she was wearing and stroked her back.

"Well, get used to being up before dawn, because babies like to get up early."

"Sophie never gets up before seven, Michelle."

"I'm not talking about Sophie, Honey," she said as she kissed him again.

Her words began to sink in and Tony opened his eyes. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Michelle nodded, her smile was dazzling.

"You're pregnant?"

She nodded again.

Tony wrapped his arms tightly around her and in one smooth motion rolled them both over so he was now on top.

"You're serious, right?"

She nodded.

"You're not joking?"

She shook her head.

"When did you find out?" he asked.

"Just now, I started suspecting it a couple of days ago but I finally did the test this morning. You're happy, right?" "

Happy? I'm ecstatic, I'm thrilled, I'm over the top, I'm so in love with you I can hardly stand it," he laughed and began kissing her.

They made love as the sun rose on a beautiful new day. They hosted a lovely party and told no one about the newly discovered pregnancy. It was their secret at least for a while, to cherish and enjoy and talk about privately. The whole world shared in the news of their first pregnancy and the circumstances kept either of them from really being happy about it. This time was different; they had the luxury of reveling in the news.

As Tony cooked kabobs on the grill he looked out at Sophie toddling in the grass as fast as her unsteady legs could carry her. She had several older cousins acting as body guards to keep her out of trouble. Tony winked at Michelle who was serving drinks and she smiled radiantly. His youngest brother walked over and handed him a fresh beer.

"That's quite a smile your wife is wearing, big brother. You must have been good last night!"

"You don't know the half of it," Tony teased him back.

"Aren't you getting too old for that? I would think it would be a strain on your aging heart."

"Keep it up, kid and next time I'll skewer you and put you on the grill!" Tony smiled as he tended to the kabobs. He smiled knowing that this was all he ever wanted: his home, his family, the love of his precious wife. The months it had been denied him had put it all in perspective and now he was happy, so very happy.


	14. Epilogue

Chapter 14: Epilogue

The sun had barely risen when Michelle walked out of the bathroom. She stood in the doorway absently fingering her diamond necklace, something that had become a habit over the years. She rarely took it off. She had gone through three different chains, but the diamond pendant was the same one Tony had given her 25 years ago. The last time it was off her neck was four years earlier when she was rushed to surgery following a car accident. Tony had been handed the necklace along with her other personal effects. He clutched it in his fist for the duration of the surgery as if it were her lifeline and if he let go she would die. Afterward he put it on Sophie and asked her to wear it until her mother was well. She came through the surgery fine and was back on her feet in a few weeks. Michelle considered it a minor bump in their wonderful years together. There had been other bumps as well: Tony had badly messed up his knee skiing, an accident that required three surgeries and months of physical therapy and left him with a slight limp to this day; Michelle's last pregnancy had been problematic and she spent several months on bed rest but ended with the birth of a health baby; that after losing a baby who had been born prematurely which had devastated both of them; and Tony's parents had both died over the last few years. It all seemed inconsequential when compared to the great happiness they had shared.

Michelle looked across the room at Tony who was asleep on his back, his bare chest rhythmically rising and falling. His hair was gray now. She smiled; it really did make him more distinguished. He was still so handsome. She walked to the bed and slipped in next to him and began pressing soft, sweet kisses onto his face.

Tony opened his eyes slightly. "Honey, the sun isn't even up yet. What are you doing?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

"We have a busy day, Tony. You don't want to miss Sophie's wedding, do you?" She leaned close to his face and gave him butterfly kisses.

"The wedding is at 6 p.m. not 6 a.m. Besides, she's too young to get married. They're just kids! What do they know about marriage?"

This was going to be a hard day for Tony. He loved his children equally but had a soft spot in his heart for Sophie that no one could deny. The child whose birth he had not witnessed, the one he risked his freedom for, who learned to smile and sit and crawl without him, was going to be the hardest to let go of. She had been her Daddy's girl from the moment he handed her the white teddy bear at the airport 25 years ago. He could not imagine that she was giving her heart to another man.

"Tony, she's 26 years old. Will is 31. It's time!" she reminded him.

Sophie and Will had dated all through college and graduate school but had known each other their entire lives. Will was Bill Conner's oldest son, Tony's Godson.

"Tony, don't make this hard for them. Remember how much it hurt us when your parents wouldn't accept me?"

"You eventually became their favorite daughter-in-law."

"Yeah, but look at the crisis it took to get them to accept me."

"Alright, I admit it. I like Will and they make a nice couple. Can I go back to sleep now?"

She ignored that last request. "Maybe they'll make us grandparents. That would be nice."

"Those two workaholics! Not a chance."

"People used to say that about us, Tony, and look how we ended up."

"Okay, you win. They are a nice couple AND they might just make us grandparents. I'm going back to sleep." He started to turn over but Michelle held his shoulder and pulled him back.

"No, you aren't Tony; we have a lot to do today. We have to pick up Joe and Emily at the airport at 10 o'clock."

Joe was their second child, Jose Antonio, who was named for Tony's good friend Jose Sanchez. Sanchez was killed when his Cessna crashed in a storm just a few months after Tony had been pardoned and returned home. When they had a son, Michelle wanted to name him after Tony, but Tony insisted that he be named for Sanchez with Tony's name as the baby's middle name. Joe had graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy two years earlier and now served as a naval intelligence officer stationed in Quantico, VA. He was tall and handsome with the same engaging smile that had attracted Michelle to Tony so many years ago. Michelle knew how handsome he would look today in his dress white uniform. Emily was his fiancée. They would be married in just over a year at the Naval Academy Chapel under crossed swords.

"Dess is picking them up. He's taking Ryan with him," Tony said, his voice still sleepy.

Dess was the nickname used by everyone except Michelle for their third child, John Dessler Almeida. In their tradition of naming their children to honor special people in their lives, this son had been named for two dear friends: Jack Bauer, whose given name was John, and Juan Rodriguez, Tony's business partner. He was given Michelle's maiden name as a middle name.

Dess was 21 years old and had just finished his third year at Stanford. After graduation next year he was going to work with Tony. He hoped to take over the LA branch office in the next few years and let his father enjoy some much deserved time off. The business had stayed largely in the three partners' families. Juan's daughter was now in charge of the Buenos Aires office, while Pedro's sons ran the London and New York offices. Pedro had died just last year and Tony still missed him and thought of him often. The business had grown and prospered over the years beyond the three partners' wildest dreams.

Dess favored his mother in both looks and personality. His skin was paler than the other children and his reddish brown curly hair about the same color as Michelle's. He was serious and quiet like Michelle but exuded a strong confidence.

Ryan that Tony referred to was Dess' best friend, Ryan Bauer, the younger of Jack and Kate's two sons.

Michelle was obviously not making any progress toward waking Tony up so she decided to take a different approach. She climbed on top of him and kissed him gently on the lips.

"Mmmm," he exhaled. "Now that might just wake me up." Tony wrapped his arms around her and kissed her fully, his lips slightly parted. He put his hands under her satiny night shirt and slid them up her back. "Mmmm," he moaned again. His hands moved down her back again and he cupped them around her bare bottom, squeezing gently. She still excited him. After nearly 30 years together he was still aroused by her. Even if it took a little longer to get fully aroused these days, he thought grimly.

"Oh, Tony," she smiled as he kissed her again. "You are incorrigible!"

"I'm incorrigible? You climbed on top of me! By the way, you didn't call me incorrigible 30 years ago. I seem to remember you liking it."

"I still like it," she admitted. "And I love you."

"I love you, too, Baby." Their kisses became more intense. Michelle put her head back and Tony kissed her neck. She let out that soft moan that drove him crazy. Now he was fully aroused. He wrapped his arms firmly around her. She knew what was coming next. He had probably done this hundreds of times in the last 30 years. In one smooth motion, he rolled them both over without losing full contact with her body. She was smiling broadly now; she loved it when he did that. He could see the excitement on her face.

She ran her hands down his back to his boxer shorts and slipped her fingers under the waist band. He raised his hips slightly so she could push the shorts down. She pushed them as far as she could reach, then let him finish taking them off. He reached up and unbuttoned her shirt kissing her body gently at the place each button had been. He opened the shirt and caressed her. His fingers lingered momentarily on the 6 inch scar on the left side of her abdomen, the only remnant of the serious car accident she had been in a few years earlier. The memory still chilled him. He remembered the call from the police and rushing to the emergency room, the nurse handing him Michelle's personal effects and telling him that she was already in the operating room. He remembered hasty phone calls to their children. He remembered the fear that gripped him; a fear he hadn't felt since the day he watched on the computer monitor as his young wife was held at knife point by a murderous madman. She was at knife point again, he thought, only this time the knife was being held by a surgeon who wanted to save her life. He remembered, too, the smiling face of the surgeon as he walked from the operating room. He remembered his relief as the surgeon shook his hand and told him Michelle should be fine in a couple of weeks. It was the same relief that he felt when Saunders men were all dead or captured and Saunders himself was in custody and he and Michelle clung to each other in the middle of the street amid bullet casings and CTU officers.

"You are still beautiful," he whispered. Almost 60 years old, he thought, and she had a body most 40 year olds would kill for. She smiled and averted her gaze. She was still embarrassed when he complimented her body. "How did I ever get so lucky? What did you see in me, Michelle?"

"I saw an incredible, smart, gentle, loving man who I wanted to spend my life with and have children with. And I've never been sorry, not for a minute."

They made deep, passionate love. Tony moaned loudly as he reached an intense climax. "Shhh," Michelle giggled like a schoolgirl. "Everyone is going to hear us!"

"Honey," Tony said breathlessly, his face buried in her neck, "we are the only ones awake at this ridiculous hour."

Tony was wrong. In the room across the hall, Chloe, Tony and Michelle's fourth and youngest child stretched and turned over. She rolled her eyes and smiled. Not again, she thought. This was at least the second time this week. They have more sex than a couple of teenagers! Chloe wondered what made her parents so different. Half of her friends' parents were divorced and her parents couldn't keep their hands off each other. She was happy they still loved each other so much and deep in her heart she hoped that she, too, could find such a perfect love some day.

Chloe Paula Almeida had been named for Chloe O'Brian and Paula Schaeffer. O'Brian, Tony eventually found out, was instrumental in his escape to Argentina and his trip home to visit Michelle and Sophie. Paula was a CTU employee who Tony had hired and who died in the CTU bombing only a short time later.

Chloe was 18 years old and would graduate from high school next month. She had Tony's dark hair and skin, but had a hint of her mother's Asian heritage around her eyes and high cheek bones. She would be going away to college in the fall, the last baby bird to leave the nest. Tony and Michelle would be on their own again just as they had started out so long ago.

* * *

Hours later Tony and Sophie stood at the back of the church. She was stunning, he thought, so like her mother. She had his dark coloring, but many of Michelle's features. Her nose and her smile were all Michelle.

"Are you sure about this?" Tony asked one more time.

"Daddy!" she shook her head and smiled.

"Okay, okay! I give up. My first mistake was not chaining you up in the basement when you were 12 and keeping you there so no one else could have you. I'm locking Chloe down there as soon as we get home!"

"Daddy, stop. Don't you want me to be happy?"

"My God, Sweetie, that's all I ever wanted for you."

"Will makes me happy, Daddy."

Their turn to walk down the aisle had come. Sophie placed a gloved hand in the crook of his left arm. Tony could feel her light grip. He reached across with his right hand and placed it on top of hers. He looked out at the sea of smiling faces: their family, their friends. He couldn't help but smile. Forgetting for a moment, he scanned the crowd for his parents. He felt like they were there with him. They would have loved this day. Sophie, the product of the union of their Latino son and his Anglo wife, a union they had so strongly opposed, had become the apple of their eye. They would have been so happy to share the day with her.

As they neared the altar, Tony and Sophie stopped. He turned to her and lifted her veil over her face then hugged and kissed her. She was the only one of his four children whose umbilical cord he had not personally cut in the delivery room. Twenty-six years later he would finally sever that cord and give her to another man.

Will stepped toward them. Tony turned to shake his hand. "I guess I can't call you 'Uncle Tony' any more," Will said.

"How about if you just call me Tony."

"Actually, I was hoping to call you 'Dad'," he said his hand still clasped in Tony's.

"That would be great," Tony replied embracing the young man. Eyes throughout the church filled with tears.

Tony stepped into the pew beside Michelle as the young couple ascended the steps to the altar, just as he and Michelle had done so many years before. Tony slipped his arm around Michelle's waist and pulled her close. She looked up at him and smiled. He pressed a kiss into her hair. His eyes closed, he lingered there for a moment in silent prayer.

He prayed that Sophie and Will, that all of his children, found the happiness he and Michelle found all those years ago. In the shadow of a nuclear explosion and death and destruction at CTU, they reached out to each other. The pain of their previous relationships was forgotten. Their loved was forged like steel with fear and grief and most of all, hope for the future: a hope they carried with them into each day, a hope that never failed them, a hope that sustained them even when they were thousands of miles apart; a hope that brought them here today, surrounded by friends and family, to watch their daughter begin the circle of hope again.

_Thanks so much for reading! Please take a second and review. (I just love to get reviews!) If you liked this story, you might also like its prequel, "First Date" and its sequel, "Undercover." _


End file.
